Fiber management panel

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications termination panel includes a pivoting tray with cable connection locations. Cables extending to the connection locations enter through the rear or the side and exit through the side of the panel. Cable management structures direct cables to and away from the connection locations. A first trough extends from the rear to the front of the panel housing, the first trough raised from the floor thereof. A second trough extends from the rear to the front of the tray and is pivotal relative to the first trough with movement of the tray. When the tray is closed, the troughs are parallel and when the tray is open, the troughs are perpendicular to each other. The second trough is raised from the first trough such that cables extending from the first into the second trough are not pinched when the tray is pivoted closed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/526,983, filed Aug. 24, 2011, which applicationis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunicationstermination panels with pivoting bulkheads.

BACKGROUND

In telecommunications infrastructure installations, equipment forswitching, cross-connecting and inter-connecting a variety of panels isused. Many of these panels are installed in telecommunications equipmentracks to permit organized, high-density installations to be achieved inlimited space available for equipment. Due to the increasing demand fortelecommunications system capacity, it is desirable to increase thedensity of connections within a given space that can be achieved.Commensurate with the demand for increased capacity from the sameinstallation footprint is a desire to improve the organization andhandling of the cables used to link the equipment within theinstallation and the outside plant and facilities cables.

One approach to increasing the density of connections within the samefootprint is to increase the number of connections supported within agiven panel. Access to these connections within panels of higherdensities is necessary for the installation, operation and maintenanceof the panels. Preferably, access to any one connection within a panelwill not cause unnecessary strain on cables extending from otheradjacent connections. Modification of the layout of the interior ofthese panels to improve connector access is desirable.

In commonly assigned and related U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,870,734, 7,086,539,7,090,084, 7,102,884, 7,408,769, and 7,478,730, and U.S. PatentApplication Publications 2009/0257726, 2010/0012599, and 2009/0129045,panels with a variety of improvements to the density of connectionswithin the panels and access thereto were described. The disclosures ofthese patents are incorporated herein by reference. Additionalimprovements to the panels of these earlier patents/publications aredesirable.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a telecommunications termination panelwith a pivoting tray having a plurality of cable connection locations.Cable connection locations may include telecommunications modulesconfigured to house fiber optic equipment. The tray is hingedly mountedwithin a housing of the panel and can pivot between a first closedposition and a second open access position through a front opening ofthe housing. The termination panel is configured such that optical fibercables extending to the cable connection locations can enter the panelthrough the rear or the side of the panel and optical fiber cablesextending away from the cable connection locations can exit the panelthrough the side of the panel. The panel includes cable managementstructures which direct the cables to and away from the cable connectionlocations. The housing of the termination panel defines a first troughextending from the rear to the front of the housing, the first troughbeing raised from the floor of the housing. The tray defines a secondtrough extending from the rear to the front of the tray. The secondtrough is pivotally disposed with respect to the first trough with themovement of the tray such that when the tray is in the first closedposition, the first and second troughs are parallel to each other andwhen the tray is in the second open access position, the first andsecond troughs are perpendicular to each other. The second trough israised from the first trough such that when the optical fiber cablesenter or exit the panel through the rear, the optical fiber cablesextending from the first trough into the second trough are not pinchedwhen the tray is pivoted from the second open position to the firstclosed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate several inventive aspects of thepresent disclosure and together with the description, serve to explainthe principles of the disclosure. A brief description of the drawings isas follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a telecommunications equipment rack withtwo termination panels according to the present disclosure mountedthereon.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the topremoved for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a second front perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a second rear perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 2,with the tray swung to an open position allowing access to theconnections.

FIG. 8 is a second front perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a second rear perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded view of the termination panel of FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a second front perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a second rear perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 13.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 13,with the tray swung to an open position allowing access to theconnections and one of the sliding connector modules extended upward toprovide access to the connections of the modules.

FIG. 19 is a second front perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 18with the connector module retracted.

FIG. 21 is a second rear perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe closed position.

FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray in the open position.

FIG. 25 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 24,with the modules, designation strips, and warning labels removed forclarity.

FIG. 26 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 24,with the cover in an access position and one of the modules extendedupward.

FIG. 27 is a front view of the termination panel of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 26.

FIG. 29 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 24,with one of the modules extended upward and the cover in an intermediateposition between the access position and the operational position.

FIG. 30 is a front view of the termination panel of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the top removed for clarity.

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.33 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 35 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray moved approximately 15 degrees from the closed positiontoward the open position.

FIG. 36 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.35 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 38 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray moved approximately 30 degrees from the closed positiontoward the open position.

FIG. 39 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 38.

FIG. 40 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.38 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 41 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray moved approximately 45 degrees from the closed positiontoward the open position.

FIG. 42 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 41.

FIG. 43 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.41 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 44 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray moved approximately 60 degrees from the closed positiontoward the open position.

FIG. 45 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.44 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 47 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray moved approximately 75 degrees from the closed positiontoward the open position.

FIG. 48 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 47.

FIG. 49 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.47 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 50 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 23,with the tray in the open position.

FIG. 51 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 50.

FIG. 52 is a side cross-sectional view of the termination panel of FIG.50 taken along the middle of the cable path through the panel.

FIG. 53 is a front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe closed position.

FIG. 54 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 53,with the tray in the open position.

FIG. 55 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 54,with the cover in an access position.

FIG. 56 is a partially exploded view of the termination panel of FIG.54, the top removed for clarity.

FIG. 57 is a partially assembled view of the termination panel of FIG.56.

FIG. 58 is a partially assembled view of the termination panel of FIG.57.

FIG. 59 is a fully assembled view of the termination panel of FIG. 58.

FIG. 60 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 59,with the cover in the access position.

FIG. 61 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 53,with the tray in the closed position and with the cover of the tray andthe top of the termination panel removed for clarity.

FIG. 62 is right, front perspective view of the termination panel ofFIG. 61, with the tray in the open position, the tray shown with anumber of features removed therefrom for clarity.

FIG. 63 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 61, with thetray in the open position.

FIG. 64 illustrates the termination panel of FIG. 63 with an examplecable routing configuration.

FIG. 65 is a front perspective view of a fifth embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe open position and with the cover of the tray and the top of thetermination panel removed for clarity.

FIG. 65A is a close-up view of the tray of the termination panel of FIG.65.

FIG. 66 is a front perspective view of a sixth embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe closed position.

FIG. 67 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 66,with the tray in the open position.

FIG. 68 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 67,with the cover in an access position.

FIG. 69 is a partially exploded view of the termination panel of FIG.67, the top removed for clarity.

FIG. 70 is a partially assembled view of the termination panel of FIG.69.

FIG. 71 is a partially assembled view of the termination panel of FIG.70.

FIG. 72 is a fully assembled view of the termination panel of FIG. 71.

FIG. 73 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 72,with the cover in the access position.

FIG. 74 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 66,with the tray in the closed position and with the cover of the tray andthe top of the termination panel removed for clarity.

FIG. 75 is a partially exploded view of the termination panel of FIG.74, with the tray in the open position.

FIG. 76 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 74, with thetray in the open position.

FIG. 77 illustrates the termination panel of FIG. 76 with an examplecable routing configuration.

FIG. 78 is a partial front perspective view of a seventh embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe open position, the seventh embodiment of the termination panelincluding features similar to the fourth embodiment of the terminationpanel of FIGS. 53-64.

FIG. 78A illustrates a close-up view of a cable transporter, the cabletransporter including features similar to the temporary cable clampshown in FIGS. 15-17, 20-22, 24, 26, and 29.

FIG. 79 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 78,with the tray in the closed position and with the top of the terminationpanel removed for clarity.

FIG. 80 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 78,with the cover in an access position.

FIG. 80A illustrates a close-up view of a fiber optic adapter moduleconfigured for mounting within the termination panel of FIG. 78, thefiber optic adapter module including a plurality of SC-type fiber opticadapters.

FIG. 80B illustrates a close-up view of an alternative embodiment of afiber optic adapter module configured for mounting within thetermination panel of FIG. 78, the fiber optic adapter module including aplurality of LC-type fiber optic adapters.

FIG. 81 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 80, with thecover of the tray in the access position.

FIG. 82 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 78,with the tray in the open position and with the cover of the trayremoved for clarity.

FIG. 82A illustrates a close-up view of a cable clamp assembly, thecable clamp assembly including features similar to the cable clamp shownin FIGS. 4-11.

FIG. 83 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 78, with thetray in the open position, illustrating an example cable routingconfiguration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 64.

FIG. 84 illustrates a close-up view of a cable spool configured formounting in the tray of the termination panel of FIG. 78.

FIG. 85 illustrates the cover of the tray of the termination panel ofFIG. 78 in isolation.

FIG. 86 is a front perspective view of an eighth embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe open position and with the cover of the tray and the top of thetermination panel removed for clarity, the eighth embodiment of thetermination panel including features similar to the fifth embodiment ofthe termination panel of FIGS. 65 and 65A.

FIG. 87 is a close-up view of the tray of the termination panel of FIG.86.

FIG. 88 is a partial front perspective view of a ninth embodiment of atermination panel according to the present disclosure, with the tray inthe open position, the ninth embodiment of the termination panelincluding features similar to the sixth embodiment of the terminationpanel of FIGS. 66-77.

FIG. 88A illustrates the cover of the tray of the termination panel ofFIG. 88 in isolation.

FIG. 89 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 88,with the tray in the closed position and with the top of the terminationpanel removed for clarity.

FIG. 90 is a front perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 88,with the cover in an access position.

FIG. 91 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 90, with thecover of the tray in the access position.

FIG. 92 is a rear perspective view of the termination panel of FIG. 88,with the tray in the open position and with the cover of the trayremoved for clarity.

FIG. 93 is a top plan view of the termination panel of FIG. 88, with thetray in the open position, illustrating an example cable routingconfiguration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 77.

FIG. 94 illustrates a close-up view of a cable spool and fiber opticadapter modules configured for mounting in the tray of the terminationpanel of FIG. 88.

FIG. 95 is an exploded view of a cable management bracket configured formounting to any of the termination panels illustrated in FIGS. 53-94,the cable management bracket for managing cables entering and exitingthe termination panel through the rear opening.

FIG. 96 illustrates a mounting plate of the cable management bracket ofFIG. 95.

FIG. 97 illustrates one of the possible configurations for configuringthe radius limiters on the cable management bracket of FIG. 95 for theincoming and outgoing cables.

FIG. 98 illustrates another possible configuration for configuring theradius limiters on the cable management bracket of FIG. 95 for theincoming and outgoing cables.

FIG. 99 illustrates yet another possible configuration for configuringthe radius limiters on the cable management bracket of FIG. 95 for theincoming and outgoing cables.

FIG. 100 is a right front top perspective view of a telecommunicationstermination panel according to the present disclosure, with a tray ofthe panel in the closed position.

FIG. 101 is a top view of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 102 is a front view of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 103 is a right side view of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 104 is a rear view of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 105 is an exploded view of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 106 illustrates the tray of the termination panel exploded from thehousing of the termination panel, the tray shown without the coverthereof and the housing shown without the top thereof for clarity;

FIG. 107 is a right top front perspective view of the telecommunicationspanel of FIG. 100, shown with the tray in the open position, the trayshown without the cover thereof and the housing shown without the topthereof for clarity;

FIG. 108 is a left bottom rear perspective view of thetelecommunications panel of FIG. 107;

FIG. 109 illustrates the panel of FIG. 100 with the tray in the closedposition, with the cover of the tray exploded from the tray, the housingof the panel shown without the top thereof for clarity;

FIG. 110 illustrates the panel of FIG. 109 with the tray in the openposition and the cover of the tray attached thereto, in the accessposition;

FIG. 111 is a right top rear perspective view of the panel of FIG. 110;

FIG. 112 is a right bottom front perspective view of the panel of FIG.110;

FIG. 112A is a close-up view of the latch of the tray of the terminationpanel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 113 illustrates the top and the mounting brackets exploded from thehousing of the termination panel of FIG. 100;

FIG. 114 illustrates an exploded view of the tray of the panel of FIG.100;

FIG. 115 is a right top rear perspective view of the tray of FIG. 114;

FIG. 116 illustrates a left bottom rear perspective view of the tray ofFIG. 114, with the rotatable tray support mechanism of the terminationpanel shown exploded from the tray;

FIG. 117 is a bottom view of the tray of the termination panel;

FIG. 118 illustrates an example cable routing configuration of thetermination panel of FIG. 100, with the cables entering the panelthrough the rear and the cables exiting through the side;

FIG. 119 illustrates another example cable routing configuration of thetermination panel of FIG. 100, with the cables entering and exiting thepanel through the side of the panel;

FIG. 119A is a close-up view of the side opening of the housing of thetermination panel that allows cables to enter and exit the panel throughthe side thereof;

FIG. 120 illustrates the termination panel of FIG. 100 with the tray andthe cover thereof in the open position and the cables entering the panelthrough the rear and exiting the panel through the side thereof;

FIG. 121 illustrates the tray of the termination panel of FIG. 120 in anear closed position, illustrating the overlapping of the second troughover the first trough of the termination panel without pinching cableswithin the panel; and

FIG. 122 illustrates the termination panel of FIG. 121 with the tray inthe fully closed position, illustrating the overlapping of the secondtrough over the first trough without pinching cables within thetermination panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of thepresent disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring now to the FIGS. 1-22, telecommunications connections panels10 provide a plurality of connection locations for linkingtelecommunications cables within a single panel. These panels 10 mayelectrically connect copper cables or optically connect optical fibercables at these connection locations. Such a panel 10 is shown in FIG.1, mounted to a telecommunications equipment rack 12 adjacent a secondpanel 10. Additional panels 10 or other telecommunications equipment mayalso be mounted to rack 12. Rack 12 is shown as a nineteen inch widerack. It is anticipated that panel 10 could also be adapted for use witha twenty-three inch wide rack or with other widths of racks within thescope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a plurality of optical fiber cables 14 are eachterminated by a connector 15. These connectors 15 are connected to afirst side or rear of a plurality of connection locations or adapters16. A plurality of optical fiber patch cords, such as cables 18 are eachterminated with a connector 19. These connectors 19 are connected to asecond side or front of adapters 16. Adapters 16 align and opticallylink the optical fiber within a cable 14 with the optical fiber within acable 18. As seen in FIG. 2, cables 18 extend away from adapters 16,passing through a plurality of vertically oriented fingers 20 whichprovide bend radius protection as cables 18 are directed toward andthrough an opening 22 in a side 24 of panel 10. After passing throughopening 22, cables 18 may be directed across a ramp 26 (also providingbend radius protection) into an adjacently mounted cableway and extendedto other telecommunications equipment.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, panel 10 includes a housing made up ofside 24, opposing side 28, and a bottom 30. A top 31 (shown in FIG. 1and removed from the other drawings for clarity) cooperates with sides24 and 28 and bottom 30 to define a front opening 32 and a rear opening34. Mounted within front opening 32 is a pivoting tray 36 with a frontwall 38 substantially closing off front opening 32 with tray 36positioned as shown in FIGS. 2 through 6. Tray 36 pivots about an axisdefined by a hinge 42 adjacent side 24. Front wall 38 includes areleasable latch 40 opposite hinge 42 which engages tab 41 in side 28 toreleasably hold tray 36 in a closed position within front opening 32.Latch 40 as shown is a rotating finger latch. It is anticipated thatlatch 40 could be a lock requiring a key to release, providingadditional security to the interior of panel 10.

Sides 24 and 28 include flanges 44 for mounting top 31 to panel 10.Bottom 30 includes a rear mounting flange 46 so that a rear wall (notshown) can be mounted to substantially close off rear opening 34. Sides24 and 28 also include mounting brackets 48 along an outer side to aidin mounting panel 10 to rack 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, adapters 16 are mounted in a series ofparallel, vertically oriented modules 17. As shown in the FIGS., sixadapters are mounted in each module 17 and twelve modules 17 are mountedon tray 36. Thus configured, panel 10 is capable of supporting up toseventy-two optical connections between optical fiber cables 14 andpatch cords 18. Optical fiber cables 14 enter panel 10 through rearopening 34 within a multi-strand cable such as an inter-facility cable50. Cable 50 is held to panel 10 by a cable clamp 52 adjacent rearopening 34 and enters panel 10 through a cable access port 54. If a rearwall were mounted to panel 10 to close off rear opening 34, cable accessport 54 should remain unobstructed to permit entry of cable 50. Cable 50includes at least some of optical fibers 14 bundled together in a commoncasing.

Cable access port 54 includes a pair of opposing bend radius protectioncurves 56 to ensure that cable 50 (or any other optical fiber cablesextending into panel 10 through port 54) are not bent through too tightof a curve as the cables enter port 54. Each curve 56 includes a finger58 positioned with respect to each other to permit cable 50 to be laidbetween curves 56 and prevent cable 50 from extending above curves 56.Tray 36 includes a raised floor 60 which is positioned above curves 56,fingers 58 and cable 50. Raised floor 60 cooperates with side 24 andbottom 30 to define a cable path 62. Cable path 62 permits cable 50 toextend through cable access port 54 and into panel 10 along bottom 30and side 24 in the direction of hinge 42.

Referring now to FIG. 6, cable 50 extends through cable path 62 alongside 24 to enter tray 36 adjacent hinge 42, extending up out of cablepath 62 and entering tray 36 above raised floor 60. Cable 50 extendsbetween an inner wall 64 and an outer wall 66. Located between walls 64and 66 is a ramp 65 which lifts cable 50 from beneath raised floor 60into tray 36 above raised floor 60. Walls 64 and 66 cooperate to carrycable 50 through a semicircular arc without violating bend radius rules.As cable 50 enters tray 36, it is held by an anchor 68. Cable 50 is thenbroken down into individual fiber cables 14. To ensure that additionalslack is available to repair damage to cables 14 without having toadjust the position of cable 50, cables 14 are wrapped around a firstdrum 70 before extending about a second drum 72 into an area 74 behindadapters 16 within modules 17. From area 74, connectors 15 of cables 14are connected to adapters 16 which will permit cables 14 to be opticallyconnected to cables 18. Outer wall 66 also provides bend radiusprotection to cables 18 extending from fingers 20 through opening 22 inside 24 and across ramp 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 9, a dashed line on bottom 30 indicatesthe location of cable path 62 along side 24. In this FIG., tray 36 isswung to an open position about hinge 42 allowing entry into panel 10through front opening 32. Along an end of tray 36 opposite front wall38, both corners have been relieved or angled. A first angled corner 78allows tray 36 to pivot about hinge 42 without being impeded by side 28.A second angled corner 80 allows greater access into panel 10 throughfront opening 32 between tray 36 and side 28 when tray 36 is in the openposition.

Tray 36 includes a plurality of bulkheads 82 along the sides and rear oftray 36, and a central bulkhead 76 separating area 74 from the areaabove raised floor 60. Bulkheads 82 and 76 cooperate to organize opticalfibers 14 and keep optical fibers 14 within tray 36 as tray 36 is swungfrom the open position shown in FIGS. 7 through 11 to the closedposition shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. This will help prevent opticalfibers 14 from being pinched or otherwise damaged. A plurality ofconnectors 84 are located between the various bulkheads 82 to physicallyconnect adjacent bulkheads 82 and reinforce the structure of tray 36.Also reinforcing bulkheads 82 and the overall structure of tray 36 are apair of triangular gussets 86 connecting a bulkhead 82 to front wall 38adjacent latch 40.

Referring now to FIG. 10, cable 50 is shown entering tray 36 along ramp65 between walls 64 and 66 through an opening 88 adjacent hinge 42.Between opening 88 and anchor 68, a ramp elevates cable 50 from thelevel of bottom 30 to the level of raised floor 60. Positioning opening88 as close as possible to hinge 42 minimizes the amount of slackrequired in cable 50 within cable path 62 to permit tray 36 to swingbetween the open and closed positions. The further from hinge 42 thatopening 88 is located, the more slack in cable 50 is required to permittray 36 to move unhindered.

Similarly, cables 18 from the front of adapters 16 extend around fingers20 and forward of outer wall 66 to exit through opening 22 which is alsopositioned as close as possible to hinge 42. This relative locationhelps reduce the amount of slack required in cables 18 to permitunhindered movement of tray 36.

When working with optical fibers within a telecommunications panel, itis desirable that direct viewing down the axis of any optical fibers beavoiding. Exposure to the high intensity laser light transmitted throughoptical fibers can cause significant harm to the vision of a workersubjected to accidental exposure. Orientation of the fiber within apanel or other device so that the axis of the fibers and any adapters isdirected away from where a worker would be standing is desirable.Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 18, cables 14, adapters 16 and cables 18are oriented parallel to the front of panel 10, as indicated by dashedline 120 in FIG. 18, when tray 36 is the open position. A workeraccessing adapters 16 or the cables 14 and 18 connected to adapters 16would most likely be standing directly in front of panel 10 when openingtray 36 and accessing the contents of panel 10. In this arrangement,with tray 36 in the open position, the risk of accidental exposure isreduced.

FIG. 12 shows additional detail regarding items mounted to tray 36,including the arrangement of adapters 16 within modules 17. Commonlyowned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,497,444, 5,717,810 and 5,758,003, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/991,271, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference, further describe and show thestructure and features of modules 17. Briefly, each module 17 includeslocations for mounting a plurality of adapters 16. As shown also in FIG.18, discussed in more detail below, each module 17 is slidably mountedbetween a pair of walls 90 and may be extended generally upward abovetray 36, in the direction of dashed line 122 in FIG. 18. Thuspositioned, access to adapters 16 mounted to module 17 and any opticalfiber cables attached to adapters 16 is improved. Walls 90 areconfigured to receive a sliding module 17 on each side, so that a totalof thirteen walls 90 are required to support the twelve modules 17.

As disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/991,271, and asshown in FIG. 18, modules 17 extend at an angle toward front 38.Adapters 16 are mounted at a corresponding angle to modules 17 so thatthe axis of insertion of fiber optic cables to the front and rear ofeach adapter 16 is substantially parallel to floor 94 of tray 36.Alternatively, walls 90 and modules 17 could be configured so thatmodules 17 slide vertically, with adapters 16 mounted horizontally tomodules 17.

Tray 36 includes a floor 94 above which is a second raised floor 96within area 74 adjacent the rear of adapters 16. As described above,raised floor 60 is offset above bottom 30 of panel 10 and cable path 62is defined between raised floor 60 and bottom 30 adjacent side 24. Drums70 and 72 are mounted to raised floor 96, a portion of which extendsover raised floor 60. Raised floor 96 includes a ramp 100 extending downto the full depth of floor 94 and leading from area 74 to the rear ofadapters 16. Forward of adapters 16 is a transition piece 98, to whichare mounted the fingers 20. Cables 18 from the front of adapters 16extend through and around fingers 20, forward of outer wall 66 andthrough opening 22 in side 24.

FIGS. 13 through 22 illustrate a second embodiment 110 of atelecommunications connection panel in accordance with the presentdisclosure. This embodiment is constructed and configured substantiallythe same as panel 10. The principal difference is that panel 110 haspatch cords or cables 118 extending through cable access port 54 insteadof cable 50. The routing of cables 118 entering cable access port 54follows cable path 62 along bottom 30 beneath raised floor 60 to opening88 adjacent hinge 42. After being directed between walls 64 and 66,cables 118 extend about drum 72 into area 74 adjacent the rear ofadapters 16. It is not necessary to pass cables 118 through anchor 68 ascables 118 emerge above raised floor 60. It is also not necessary topass cables 118 about drum 70 to store slack. If a connector 19 of oneof the cables 118 is damaged, the particular cable 118 can be removedand replaced entirely. Alternatively, since cables 118 are not clampedin a bundle by clamp 52, additional length can be pulled into panel 110for a single cable 118 to be repaired or reterminated without undulydisturbing the other cables 118.

Panel 10 and panel 110 may be configured so that either will accept amulti-strand optical fiber cable such as cable 50 or single strandoptical fiber cables such as cables 118 through cable access port 54.The presence of the features such as anchor 68 and first drum 70 forcables 50 do not impair the ability of panel 10 to accept and directcables 118 to the rear of adapters 16.

Referring now to FIG. 15, mounted to bulkhead 82 along second angledcorner 80 of tray 36 is a temporary cable clamp 112. Clamp 112 isdirectly above cable access port 54 and aids in the loading of cablesinto tray 36 of panel 110. To load a new cable 118 (or a cable 50) intotray 36 without clamp 112, a worker would need to swing tray 36 to theopen position, allowing access through front opening 32 adjacent side28, as shown in FIG. 21. The worker would then have to reach throughopening 32 across the entire diagonal distance of panel 110 to reach thenew cable 118 at cable access port 54 adjacent side 24. Panel 110 may beapproximately nineteen to twenty-three inches wide between sides andsimilarly dimensioned front to rear. Reaching across this diagonaldistance when panel 110 is mounted within rack 12 may be difficult forsome workers, particularly if panel 110 is mounted near the top orbottom of rack 12.

Clamp 112 permits loading of cables 118 into panel 110 without the needto extend an arm through the interior of panel 110. When tray 36 is inthe closed position, as shown in FIG. 15, clamp 112 is accessiblethrough cable access port 54. An end of a new cable 118 is lead to cableaccess port 54 and attached to clamp 112. Tray 36 is then swung to theopen position, as shown in FIG. 21. The end of new cable 118 is pulledthrough panel 110 and out opening 32. As indicated by the dashed line114 in FIG. 21, new cable 118 extends across the diagonal of bottom 30.New cable 118 can then be detached from clamp 112 and routed throughopening 88 into tray 36 along the other cables 118.

It is anticipated that panels 10 and 110 may modified to provideconnection locations for high speed copper cables as well as opticalfiber cables. As copper cables are used to transmit data at higherspeed, bend radius rules similar to those for optical fiber cables needto be enforced within the network. As with optical fiber, it isdesirable to have higher densities of connections within copper panelsas well.

Referring now to FIG. 23, a third alternative embodiment of atelecommunications termination panel 210 is illustrated. Panel 210includes a top 131 with an extension 133 which overlays an extendedportion 129 of side 128. Side 128 also includes a mounting portion 148forming a mounting flange for mounting panel 210 to rack 12. A frontwall 138 includes a recessed portion 139 adjacent latch 40 and extendedportion 129. Front wall 138 closes off opening 32 when a tray 136 ofpanel 210 is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 23.

Referring now to FIG. 24, tray 136 is shown pivoted to the openposition. A cover 212 is hingedly mounted to tray 136 by a hinge 214along a rear bulkhead 82. As shown in FIG. 24, cover 212 is in anoperational position, allowing tray 136 to be moved between the open andclosed positions. Also mounted along a bulkhead 82 is a pair of cardholders 216 for holding information cards 218. Information cards 218 maybe instruction cards, warning labels, routing information cards ordesignation strips related to the configuration and use of panel 210.Card holders 216 are positioned so that cards 218 are housed withinpanel 10 when tray 136 is in the closed position but are easilyaccessible to a user when tray 136 is in the open position. Cover 212also includes an opening 224 through which modules 17 are visible.Opening 224 permits any identification or other information printed orattached to modules 17 to be visible when cover 212 is in theoperational position. Designation labels 220 may be positioned adjacentopening 224 to indicate the source and destination of cables attached toadapters 16. Cover 212 may also include one or more routing diagrams 222to illustrate to the user the recommended path of cables within panel210.

Referring now to FIG. 25, rear wall 130 substantially closes off therear of panel 210 except for rear opening 54. As shown, rear wall 130 isa downward extension of top 131. It is anticipated that a rear wallclosing off the rear of the housing except for the rear opening could bean upward extending portion of bottom 30 (as shown in the FIGS. below)or a separate piece fastened to panel 210.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 to 28, panel 210 is illustrated with tray 136in the open position and cover 212 in a position permitting access toadapter 16, modules 17 and any cables which might lead to or away fromadapters 16. If tray 136 were closed with module 17 so extended, frontedge 226 of top 131 might damage module 17, one or more of the adapters16 mounted to module 17 or any cables leading to or from these adapters16. To prevent such a closure and the potential resulting damage, cover212 is configured to prevent movement of tray 136 to the closed positionwhen cover 212 is not in the operational position (as shown in FIGS. 24and 25). As shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, cover 212 is in the access positionand any attempt to close tray 136 will result in cover 212 hitting afront edge 228 of bottom 30. If cover 212 is in an intermediate positionbetween the operational and access positions (as shown below in FIGS. 29to 31), cover 212 will hit front edge 226 of top 131, preventing closureof tray 136. Also, when cover 212 is in the operational position, cover21 will ensure that no cables within tray 136 extend above bulkheads 82.Any cables extending above bulkheads 82 may be pinched or otherwisedamaged by front edge 226 of top 131.

Referring now to FIGS. 29 to 31, cover 212 is shown in an intermediateposition between the access and operational positions. These FIGS.illustrate how cover 212 interacts with a module 17 which was extendedupward and not retracted prior to cover 212 being moved from the accessposition of FIGS. 26 to 28 to the operational position of FIGS. 24 and25. The upper end of the extended module 17 strikes cover 212 adjacentan edge 230 of opening 224. Opening 224 is positioned and configured toprevent cover 212 from being closed with a module 17 extended upwardwhile still allowing visibility of modules 17 when cover 212 is in theoperational position. When a module 17 is extended and interacts withcover 212 as shown in FIGS. 29 to 31, cover cannot be moved to theoperational position and tray 136 cannot be closed. This prevent damageto the extended module 17 as described above.

Opening 224 is also configured and positioned so as to prevent anycables connected to the rear of the upper most adapters 16 of theextended module 17 from being pinched or otherwise damaged when cover212 interacts with the extended module 17. In the absence of opening 224configured and positioned as shown, such a cable would be struck bycover 212 before cover 212 strikes the extended module 17. The pressureof cover 212 could cause the cable to kink or bend tighter than thedesired bend radius and possibly degrade the ability of the cable totransmit optical signals.

Referring now to FIGS. 32 to 34, panel 210 is shown with cover 131removed to permit viewing of the interior of panel 210 as tray 136 ismoved from the closed position (shown in FIGS. 32 to 34) and the openposition (shown in the FIGS. below). A back wall 132 extends upward fromthe rear of bottom 30 and cooperates with rear wall 130 extendingdownward from top 131 (shown in the FIGS. above) to close off the backof panel 210. Along side 24 adjacent cable path 62 are an actuator 232which extends between tray 136 and one of two swinging links 234. Links234 and actuator 232 are positioned between side 24 and the bulkhead 82immediately adjacent side 24. Each link 234 includes an upper endpivotably connected to side 24 by a fastener 236. Each link 234 includesa bottom end pivotably connected to a movable plate 238 which ispositioned along and defines the top edge of cable path 62 beneath tray136. When tray 136 is in the closed position as shown in FIGS. 32 to 34,cables are trapped between bottom 30 and the plate. In this manner,plate 238 prevents any cables within cable path 62 from contacting orpossibly interfering with the movement of tray 136.

Shown in FIG. 34 is an extendable rotatable support 240 pivotablyattached to bottom 30 adjacent cable path 62 and tray 136 underneathraised floor 60. As tray 136 is moved from the close position to theopen position, support 240 rotates and extends out of front opening 32to provide additional support to tray 136. Without support 240, onlyhinge 42 is supporting tray 136 and tray 136 may sag or otherwise bindhinge 42 (shown in FIG. 3, above) due to the weight of tray 136 and thecomponents installed in tray 136. Support 240 provides additionalsupport to tray 136 in the open position and aids in the movement oftray 136.

Referring now to FIGS. 35 to 37, tray 136 has been moved approximately15 degrees from the closed position toward the open position. Actuator232 is attached to tray 136 at an attachment point 244 permittingthree-dimensional movement of actuator 232 relative to tray 136. Asshown in FIG. 36, actuator 232 has been displaced from side 24 but hasnot significantly displaced link 234 to which is it attached. Actuator232 is pivotably attached to the forwardmost link 234 at a attachmentpoint 242 which also permit some articulation of link 232 are tray 136is moved. Plate 238 extends essentially parallel to bottom 30 andincludes a pair of tabs 246 extending upward adjacent side 24. Links 234are pivotably attached to tabs 246 by fasteners 248.

Referring now to FIGS. 38 to 40, tray 136 has been moved approximately30 degrees from the closed position toward the open position. As shownin FIG. 40, actuator 232 has been further displaced from side 24 and hasbegun to pull link 234 to which it is attached toward the front of panel210. As this link moves forward, it will begin to swing upward and drawplate 238 up from cable path 62. Note that this upward movement is notyet visible in FIGS. 38 to 40, although some forward displacement oflinks 234 has taken place.

Referring now to FIGS. 41 to 43, tray 136 has been moved approximatelyhalfway between the open and closed positions. As shown in FIGS. 42 and43, plate 238 has begun to be vertically displaced away from bottom 30above cable path 62 as actuator 232 is further displaced from side 24and pulled forward by the movement of tray 136. Actuator 232 in turnpulls on forwardmost link 234 at attachment point 244 and pulls plate238 and rearmost link 234 forward. This causes links 234 to pivot aboutfasteners 236 which in turn raises plate 238.

Referring now to FIGS. 44 to 46, tray 136 has now been moved toapproximately 60 degrees from the closed position to the open position.Actuator 232 has further displaced links 234 forward. Links 234 havepivoted about fasteners 236 and drawn plate 238 further above cable path62. Note that for the first time in the sequence illustrated by theFIGS. above, plate 238 has been displaced above the level of raisedfloor 60. As plate 238 moves higher, cables within cable path 62 are nolonger held down to the level defined by raised floor portion 60 of tray136. As plate 238 extends beneath raised floor 62 of tray 136, thetiming of plate 238 being displaced away from bottom 30 by actuator 232and links 234 is preferably set so that plate 238 does not interferewith or impact tray 136. While such interference may not be significantissue when moving tray 136 as shown from the closed position to the openposition, such interference may prevent tray 136 from being moved fromthe open position to the closed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 47 to 49, tray 136 has now been moved toapproximately 15 degrees from the open position. As raised floor portion60 no longer overlays any portion of plate 238, further displacement ofplate 238 from bottom 30 is desirable to open up access to cable path62.

Referring now to FIGS. 50 to 52, tray 136 is now in the open position,rotated approximately 90 degrees from the closed position about hinge42. Support 240 has rotated from a position approximately parallel tocable path 62 through more than 90 degrees about a pivot point 250 inbottom 30 and now extends underneath raised floor 60 out of frontopening 32. Plate 238 is now at a point of maximum displacement frombottom 30 to provide unobstructed access to cable path 62. In the openposition, cable path 62 is at it most accessible state to aid therouting of cables through rear opening 54 into tray 136. In the closedposition, as illustrated in FIGS. 32 to 34, above, plate 238 defines theupper limit of cable path 62 beneath raised floor 60 of tray 136. Asplate 238 moves from the open position to the closed position, plate 238presses down any cables within cable path 62 to ensure that tray 136does not pinch any cables or trap any cables against side 24. Suchpinching or trapping may result in temporary or permanent obstruction ofthe optical path within the cable and degrade to cable's ability totransmit optical signals.

Alternative configurations of links 234 are anticipated and may includean attachment point 244 for actuator 232 positioned above fastener 236pivotably connecting link 234 to side 24. Relative placement of thepivotable attachment of links 234 to side 24 and plate 238 with regardto the position of attachment point 244 may be varied to alter theextent of vertical and horizontal displacement of plate 238 and thetiming of the displacement relative to the movement of tray 136.

Referring now to FIGS. 53-64, a fourth alternative embodiment of atelecommunications termination panel 310 is illustrated. The terminationpanel 310 is similar in construction and functionality to thetermination panels 10, 110, and 210 illustrated in FIGS. 1-52, exceptfor a number of differences, which will be highlighted hereinafter.

The termination panel 310 includes a housing 312 made up of a firstsidewall 314, a second sidewall 316, a rear wall 318, and a bottom 320.A top 322 (shown in FIGS. 53-55 and removed from the other drawings forclarity) cooperates with the first sidewall 314, the second sidewall316, the rear wall 318, and the bottom 320 to define a front opening 324and a rear opening 326 of the housing 312. As in the previousembodiments, the sidewalls include flanges 328 for mounting the top 322to the panel 310.

The rear wall 318 substantially closes of the rear of the panel 310except for the rear opening 326. It should be noted that the rear wallclosing off the rear of the housing 312 except for the rear opening 326may be defined by an upward extension of the bottom 320 or a downwardextension of the top 322, or both.

As in the embodiment of the panel 210 of FIGS. 23-52, the top 322 of thepanel 310 includes an extension 330 which overlays an extended portion332 of the first sidewall 316. However, unlike the panel 210 of FIGS.23-52, the flange 334 formed by the extended portion 332 of the firstsidewall 316 is not used for mounting the panel 310 to atelecommunications rack, such as the rack 12 shown in FIG. 1. Instead ofutilizing mounting brackets toward the middle of the sidewalls 314, 316,the sidewalls 314, 316 include mounting brackets 336 mounted adjacentthe front opening 324 of the panel 310. In this manner, when the panel310 is mounted to a telecommunications rack 12, the front of the panel310 is substantially flush with the front of the rack 12 instead ofprotruding from the rack 12, as shown in FIG. 1. The panel 310 may bemounted to a standard nineteen inch wide rack. In other embodiments, thepanel 310 may be adapted to be mounted on a twenty-three inch wide rackor to racks of other widths.

The panel 310 includes a pivoting tray 340 movable between an openposition and a closed position, as in the panels 10, 110, and 210illustrated in FIGS. 1-52. The tray 340 includes a front wall 342 thatsubstantially closes off the front opening 324 of the panel 310 when thetray 340 is in the closed position (FIGS. 53 and 61). Tray 340 pivotsabout an axis defined by a hinge 344 adjacent the second sidewall 316.Similar to the panels 10, 110, and 210 of FIGS. 1-52, the hinge 344 issupported between an inward extension 346 of the second sidewall 316adjacent the front of the panel 310 and a rearward extension 348 of thefront wall 342 of the tray 340, as shown in FIG. 56. However, unlike thehinge 42 included in the panels of FIGS. 1-52, the hinge 344 may extendall the way up from the bottom 320 of the panel 310 to the top 322 ofthe panel 310. As will be described further below, in the panel 310 ofFIGS. 53-64, all of the cables enter and exit the panel through the rearof the panel 310. Thus, since the panel 310 does not define a side cableopening adjacent the hinge 344 for exiting cables and since the secondsidewall 316 of the housing 312 does not have to accommodate the portionof the tray defining the cable path leading to a side opening, theflanges 346, 348 supporting the hinge 344 may extend all the way fromthe bottom 320 to the top 322 of the panel 310.

Referring to FIGS. 56, 63, and 64, as in the previous embodiments, thepanel 310 includes an extendable rotatable support 350 that is pivotablyattached to bottom 320 of the housing 312 and to the tray 340 underneatha raised floor 352 of the tray 340. As the tray 340 is moved from theclosed position to the open position, support 350 rotates and extendsout of front opening 324 of the housing 312 to provide additionalsupport to the tray 340. Without support, only the hinge 344 issupporting the tray 340 and the tray 340 may sag or otherwise bind hingedue to the weight of the tray 340 and the components installed in thetray 340. Support 350 provides additional support to the tray 340 in theopen position and aids in the movement of the tray 340.

The tray 340 may include a latch similar to those shown for panels 10,110, and 210 of FIGS. 1-52 for releasably holding the tray 340 in aclosed position within the front opening 324. As discussed above, thelatch could include a lock requiring a key to release, providingadditional security to the interior of the panel 310. As in theembodiment of the panel 210 shown in FIGS. 23-52, the front wall 342 ofthe tray 340 includes a recessed portion 354 adjacent the latch.

Referring to FIG. 55, the tray 340 is shown in an open configurationallowing entry into the panel 310 through the front opening 324. Inaddition to the front wall 342 and the raised floor 352 of the tray 340,the tray 340 also includes a first sidewall 356, a second sidewall 358,and a rear wall 360. As in the previous embodiments, at the rear wall360 of the tray 340, both of the corners 362, 364 have been relieved orangled. The first angled corner 362 allows the tray to pivot about hinge344 without being interfered by the first sidewall 314 of the housing312. The second angled corner 364 allows greater access into the panel310 through the front opening 324 when the tray 340 is in the openposition.

As in the panel 210 of FIGS. 23-52, the first sidewall 356 of the tray340 includes a cardholder 366 mounted thereon for holding informationcards. Information cards may be instruction cards, warning labels,routing information cards or designation strips related to theconfiguration and use of panel 310. Card holder 366 is positioned sothat cards are housed within panel 310 when tray 340 is in the closedposition but are easily accessible to a user when tray 340 is in theopen position.

As shown in FIG. 55, the second sidewall 358 of the tray 340 includes acurved portion 368 adjacent the front of the tray 340. The curvedportion 368 is configured to guide cables into the tray 340 withoutviolating bend radius rules.

The tray 340 defines an opening 370 between the front wall 342 of thetray 340 and the curved portion 368 of the second sidewall 358. As willbe discussed in further detail below, cables enter and exit the tray 340through the opening 370. Positioning the opening 370 as close aspossible to the hinge 344 minimizes the amount of cable slack requiredin the cables to permit the tray 340 to swing between open and closedpositions. The farther from hinge 344 the opening 370 is located, themore slack in cables is required to permit tray 340 to move unhindered.Cables, whether incoming or outgoing, extend between the opening 370 ofthe tray and the rear opening 326 of the housing 312, as will bediscussed in further detail below.

Still referring to FIG. 55, the tray 340, similar to the earlierembodiments, includes a plurality of bulkheads located within the tray340 extending upwardly from the floor 352 of the tray. Bulkhead 372extends from the rear wall 360 toward the front of the tray 340.Bulkhead 372 defines a semi-circular radius 374 adjacent the front sideof the tray 340. Another semi-circular bulkhead 376 is located closer tothe rear of the tray 340. The semicircular bulkhead 376 adjacent therear of the tray 340 cooperates with the front portion 374 of thebulkhead 372 to form a spool for storing cable slack within the tray 340(see FIG. 64). The bulkheads 372, 376 define a cable slack storage area378 of the tray 340.

Adjacent the rear wall 360 of the tray 340 is another bulkhead 380 inthe form of a circular drum or spool providing cable management withinthe tray 340 and guiding incoming cables toward the cable connectionlocations or adapters 382, as will be discussed in further detail below.

A central bulkhead 384 separates the cable entry 386 and cable slackstorage area 378 from the cable connection area 382 and the cable exit388. The central bulkhead 384 includes a portion 390 that extends fromthe cable spool 380 toward the front of the tray 340. Adjacent the frontof the tray 340, the central bulkhead 384 defines a portion 392 thatgradually curves toward the opening 370 of the tray 340. A straightportion 394 of the central bulkhead 384 extends parallel to the frontwall 342 of the tray 340. The curved portion 392 includes a curvematching that of the bulkhead 374 in defining the cable entry path 386into the cable slack storage area 378. The portion 394 of the centralbulkhead 384 that runs parallel to the front wall 342 of the tray 340separates the cable entry path 386 from a cable exit path 388.

Referring now to FIGS. 55, 60, and 61, as in the previous embodiments,the tray 340 houses a plurality of connection locations or adapters 382for aligning and optically linking incoming fiber optic cables withoutgoing fiber optic cables. As will be described in further detailbelow, after the outgoing cables extend from the adapters 382, they passthrough a plurality of vertically oriented fingers 398 which providebend radius protection to the cables as cables are directed toward theopening 370 of the tray 340 through the cable exit path 388. As shown inFIG. 62, the cable exit path 388 includes a ramp 400 going from thecable management fingers 398 toward the opening 370 of the tray 340.

Referring back to FIG. 55, the adapters 382 are positioned between thefirst sidewall 356 of the tray 340 and the central bulkhead 384. As inthe previous embodiments of the tray, the adapters 382 are mounted in aseries of parallel, vertically oriented modules 402. Each module 402 isslidably mounted between a pair of walls 404 and may be extendedgenerally upward above the tray 340. Thus positioned, access to adapters382 mounted to module 402 and any optical fiber cables attached toadapters 382 is improved. In the depicted embodiment, six adapters 382are mounted in each module 402 and eight modules 402 are mounted on thetray 340. Thus configured, panel 310 is capable of supporting up toforty-eight optical connections between incoming optical fiber cablesand outgoing optical fiber cables. Walls 404 are configured to receive asliding module 402 on each side, so that a total of nine walls 404 arerequired to support the eight modules 402.

As in the previous embodiments, the adapter modules 402 extend at anangle toward the front. The axis of insertion of fiber optic cables tothe front and rear of each adapter 382 is substantially parallel to thefloor 352 of the tray 340. Alternatively, walls 404 and modules 402could be configured so that modules 402 slide vertically, with adapters382 mounted horizontally to modules 402.

Now referring to FIGS. 54-60, as in the embodiment of the tray of FIGS.23-52, tray 340 includes a cover 406 hingedly mounted to the rear wall360 of the tray 340 by a hinge 408. The cover 406 is movable between anoperational position (FIG. 54) and an access position (FIG. 55). Whenthe cover 406 is in an operational position, the tray 340 is allowed tobe moved between the open and closed positions with respect to the panel310. Cover 406 includes an opening 410 through which the modules 402 arevisible. Opening 410 permits any identification or other informationprinted or attached to modules 402 to be visible when cover 406 is inthe operational position.

As in the embodiment of the panel 210 of FIGS. 23-52, the cover 406 isconfigured to prevent movement of the tray 340 to the closed positionwhen cover 406 is not in the operational position. In this manner, anydamage to adapter modules 402, when they are in an extended position, isprevented if the tray 340 is brought from the open position to theclosed position, as described with respect to the earlier embodiments.

The cover 406 is also configured such that, when in the operationalposition, the cover 406 will ensure that no cables within tray 340extend above the bulkheads located within the tray 340. In this manner,any cables extending above bulkheads are prevented from being pinched orotherwise damaged by front edge of top 322 of the housing 312.

As in the previous embodiment of the panel, the cover 406 also interactswith modules 402 which were extended upward and not retracted prior tocover 406 being moved from the access position. The upper end of anextended module 402 strikes the cover 406 adjacent an edge of theopening 410. The opening 410 is positioned and configured to preventcover 406 from being closed with a module 402 extended upward whilestill allowing visibility of modules 402 when cover 406 is in theoperational position. When a module 402 is extended and interacts withcover 406, cover 406 cannot be moved to the operational position andtray 340 cannot be closed. This prevents damage to the extended module402 as described above.

The opening 410 is also configured and positioned so as to prevent anycables connected to the rear of the upper most adapters 382 of theextended module 402 from being pinched or otherwise damaged when cover406 interacts with the extended module 402. In the absence of theopening 410 configured and positioned as shown, such a cable would bestruck by the cover 406 before the cover 406 strikes the extended module402. The pressure of the cover 406 could cause the cable to kink or bendtighter than the desired bend radius and possibly degrade the ability ofthe cable to transmit optical signals.

In FIGS. 61-64, the panel 310 is shown with cover 406 removed to permitviewing of the interior of panel 310 as tray 340 is moved between theclosed position (shown in FIG. 61) and the open position (shown in theFIGS. 62-64).

Referring now to FIGS. 56-60 and 64, optical fiber cables which issupported by the panel 310 enter the panel 310 through the rear opening326. The panel 310 may be configured so that it will either accept amulti-strand optical fiber cable or single strand optical fiber cables.Adjacent the rear opening 326, the panel includes two elongate cableguides 420, 422 mounted in a stacked arrangement. The lower cable guide420 defines a first trough 424 for guiding incoming cables from the rearopening 326 toward the opening 370 of the tray 340. The upper cableguide 422 defines a second trough 426 for guiding outgoing cables fromthe opening 370 of the tray 340 to the rear opening 326 of the panel310. Each of the cable guides 420, 422 includes a bottom wall orplatform 430 that extends parallel to but raised above from the bottom320 of the housing 312. The bottom walls 430 of the cable guides 420,422 include portions 432 adjacent the hinge 344 of the housing 312 thatare curved toward the interior of the housing 312. The curvature of thebottom walls 430 are configured to accommodate the front portion 368 ofthe second sidewall 358 of the tray 340 when the tray 340 is pivotedfrom an open position to a closed position (see FIG. 61). The curvatureof the bottom walls 430 of the cable guides 420, 422 also help guide thecables to and from the opening 370 of the tray 340.

To define the troughs 424, 426, the cable guides 420, 422 includevertical walls 434 inset from and parallel to the second sidewall 316 ofthe housing 312. The vertical walls 434 follow the curvature of thebottom walls 430 adjacent the front portion of the cable guides 420,422. The vertical walls 434 are configured in height so that a small gap436 is left above the vertical wall 434 of the lower cable guide 420 andbetween the vertical wall 434 of the upper cable guide 422 and the top322 of the panel 340. As shown in FIGS. 56-62, cable pushers 440 may beutilized to close these gaps 436. The cable pushers 440 are slidablyinserted over the top edges 438 of the vertical walls 434. Once theincoming cables are initially inserted into the troughs 424, 426 throughthe gaps 436 above the vertical walls 434, the cable pushers 440 can beused to push the remaining portions of the cables into the troughs 424,426 in the transverse direction. As the cable pusher 440 is slidablymoved from the rear of the cable guide 420/422 toward the front of thecable guide 420/422, sliding on the top edge 438 of the vertical wall434, portions of the cables that are protruding sideways out of thetroughs 424, 426 and located toward the interior of the panel 340 arecontacted and moved toward the second sidewall 316 into the troughs 424,426. In this manner, when the pushers 440 have been slid all the wayforward, all incoming and outgoing cables will be in the troughs 424,426 and be out of the way of the tray 340 in allowing the tray 340 to bepivoted.

The cable pushers 440 also provide a way to close up the gaps 436 abovethe vertical walls 434 of the cable guides 420, 422 so that alreadyinserted cables cannot come out of the troughs 424, 426 during movementof the tray 340.

When the cable guides 420, 422 are mounted on the panel 310, there issome room left between the lower cable guide 420 and the bottom 320 ofthe panel 310. It should be noted that since the cable pushers 440 areremovable pieces, additional pushers 440 may be supplied with the panel310, wherein the additional pushers 440 may be stored in the spacebetween the bottom 320 of the housing and the lower cable guide 420. Forexample, the extra pushers 440 may be attached to the second sidewall316 of the housing 312 with a snap fit structure in this space.

The bottom walls 430 of the cable guides 420, 422 are configured suchthat they position the incoming cables and the outgoing cables at thecorrect height for a smooth transition into the tray 340. As seen FIG.62, the bottom cable guide 420 is configured to lead incoming fibersinto the opening 370 of the tray 340 through a cable management ring 442and down a ramp 444 to the level of the floor 352 of the tray 340. Fromthe bottom of the ramp 444, the cables can follow the radius 374 of thebulkhead 372 and enter the cable slack storage area 378 of the tray 340.It should be noted that a cable path 386 is created for the incomingcables between the curved portion 374 of the bulkhead 372 and the frontportion 392 of the central bulkhead 384.

The upper cable guide 422 is at a level where outgoing cables that exitthe fingers 398 upwardly from the ramp 400 and go through an upper cablemanagement ring 450 will be at the correct height to enter the uppertrough 426. The upper and the lower cable management guides 422, 420keep the incoming cables completely separated from the outgoing cablesand assist in guiding the cables between the rear opening 326 of thepanel 310 and the tray 340.

As shown in FIG. 62, the tray includes another ramp 452 that anglesupwardly from the tray floor 352 toward the fingers 398. The ramp 452 isconfigured to guide cables from the adapters 382 to the fingers 398.

It should be noted that all of the cable management structures and allof the transition structures are preferably configured to ensure thatthe cables are not bent through too tight of a curve as the cables aremanaged within the panel 310.

The bulkheads and the walls of the tray 340 cooperate to organize fiberoptic cables and keep the cables within the tray 340 as the tray 340 isswung between the open and closed positions. The bulkheads and the wallshelp prevent optical fibers from being pinched or otherwise damaged.

As shown in FIG. 60, structures such as the cable spool 380 and thesemi-circular bulkhead 376 located at the cable slack storage area 378may include outwardly extending fingers 460 for keeping the cablesaround these structures and prevent the cables from popping up duringoperation of the tray 340. The cable rings 442, 450 located adjacent theentry and exit of the tray 340 also serve the purpose of keeping thecables in a stored configuration to ensure smooth pivotal operation ofthe tray 340. It should be noted that cable management structures suchas the fingers 460 and the rings 442, 450 may be mounted at othervarious locations around the tray 340 for keeping the cables organized.

Now referring to FIG. 64, a sample routing configuration for a cable 460is shown. It should be noted that although the routing is shown for asingle cable 460, the routing is representative of a plurality of cablesmanaged by the panel 310. In the diagram shown in FIG. 64, the top 322of the panel 310 has been removed to illustrate the internal featuresthereof and for clarity. As shown in FIG. 64, an incoming cable 460enters the panel 310 through the rear opening 326. After beingpositioned within the trough 424 defined by the lower cable guide 420,the cable 460 is directed toward the opening 370 located between thesecond sidewall 358 of the tray 340 and the front wall 342 of the tray340. The incoming cable 460, after entering the tray 340, is insertedthrough the lower cable ring 442. From the cable ring 442, the cable 460goes down the ramp 444 (see FIG. 62) and toward the cable slack storagearea 378. In going toward the cable slack storage area 378, the cable460 passes between the curved portion 374 of the bulkhead 372 and thefront portion 392 of the central bulkhead 384. As shown, the cable 460can be wrapped around the semicircular bulkhead 376 and directed towardthe cable spool 380. Once cable 460 goes around the spool 380, it passesbetween the rear wall 360 of the tray 340 and the spool 380 toward theadapters 382.

From the adapters 382, the cable 360 is directed upwardly over the ramp452 and through the fingers 398. From the fingers 398, the cable 460 iscurved toward the cable exit path 388 defined between the front wall 342of the tray 340 and the front portion 394 of the central bulkhead 384.The cable 460 is then directed upwardly over the ramp 400 (see FIG. 62)and through the cable ring 450 before it enters the trough 426 definedby the upper cable guide 422. By the cable guide 422, the cable exitsout the back of the housing 312 through the rear opening 326. Pleasenote that in FIG. 64, portions of the cable 460 that are covered bysolid structures and may not be visible from a top plan view of thepanel 310 have been shown in dashed lines. The visible portions of thecable 460 from a top plan view have been shown in solid lines.

Referring now to FIGS. 65 and 65A, a fifth alternative embodiment of atelecommunications termination panel 510 is illustrated. The terminationpanel 510 is similar in construction and functionality to thetermination panel 310 illustrated in FIGS. 53-64, except for a number ofdifferences, which will be highlighted hereinafter.

The termination panel 510 is different than the panel 310 of FIGS. 53-64in that the termination panel 510 houses telecommunications modules 512instead of adapter modules 402 (that are configured to simply mate twofiber optic connectors) in the cable connection area. Thetelecommunications modules 512 are slidably disposed between parallelwalls 514 as in the panel 310 of FIGS. 53-64. The telecommunicationmodules 512 can be configured to house different types of fiber opticequipment including couplers, splitters, combiners, wave divisionmultiplexers, etc. The telecommunications modules 512 depicted eachincludes a plurality of connection locations 516 defined by fiber opticadapters 518. Adapters 518 define connection locations 520 for receivingconnectors on the ends of fiber optic cables. The opposite back ends 522of the adapters 518 are disposed within the telecommunications modules512 and are configured to receive fiber optic connectors associated withthe internal circuitry of the telecommunications modules 512.

In the depicted embodiment, the tray is configured to accommodate fourtelecommunications modules 512, each having six connection locations fora total of twenty-four cables. Other numbers are possible.

For further description relating to the configuration of modules 512 andthe types of optical equipment that may be housed within the modules,please refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,556,763 and 7,142,765, the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Examples oftelecommunications modules that are suitable for use in the panel 510are available from ADC Telecommunications, Inc. under the Model NameMicroVAM (Value-Added Module).

The cable routing for the embodiment of the panel 510 shown in FIGS. 65and 65A is similar to the cable routing shown in FIG. 64. However, sincethe adapters 518 mounted to the telecommunications modules 512 are usedto both input a signal and output a signal, instead of cables leading tothe rear ends of the adapters 518, connectorized cables will enter andexit the adapters from the same, front side 516 of the adapters 518.

The cover of the tray may include an opening that provides visibility tothe modules 512 and to information located on the modules 512 todetermine the types of modules that are within the tray without havingto open the cover.

Referring now to FIGS. 66-77, a sixth alternative embodiment of atelecommunications termination panel 610 is illustrated. The terminationpanel 610 is similar in construction and functionality to thetermination panel 310 illustrated in FIGS. 53-64, except for a number ofdifferences, which will be highlighted hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 66-77, instead of utilizing adapters 382 forintermating pre-terminated connectorized cables, the panel 610 includessplice trays 612 for performing a splice in establishing the connectionbetween the incoming fibers and the outgoing fibers. As shown in FIG.77, incoming non-connectorized fibers are spliced at the splice trays612 to connectorized fibers. The connectorized fibers are then mated tooutgoing connectorized fibers through the adapters 614.

The panel 610 of FIGS. 66-77 includes a number of differences from thepanel 310 of FIGS. 53-64 for accommodating the splice trays 612. Asshown in FIG. 68, the adapter modules 616 are arranged differently thanin the panel 310 of FIGS. 53-64. The adapter modules 616 are arranged intwo sets that are offset/staggered with respect to each other. The twosets of adapter modules 616 are arranged at an angle, wherein thelongitudinal axes of the adapters 614 lie parallel to the relievedcorner of the rear wall of the tray 618. The adapter modules 616 arearranged to provide proper cable management and to increase the densityof the possible connections within the tray 618.

In the embodiment depicted, the tray 618 accommodates two sets of fouradapter modules 616, each having six adapters 614 for a total number offorty-eight connections. In the depicted embodiment, four splice trays612 are provided in a stacked arrangement (see FIG. 75) foraccommodating a total of forty-eight cable splices for the panel 610(i.e., twelve splices per splice tray). The spliced fibers may be 900micron fiber.

The cover 620 of the tray 618 includes an opening 622 having a shapecorresponding to the arrangement of the adapters 614. The opening 622 ofthe cover 620 of the tray 618 of FIGS. 66-77 serves the samefunctionality, in the same way, as the cover opening 410 of the tray 340of FIGS. 53-64.

The second sidewall 624 of the tray 618 has a similar shape to thesecond sidewall 358 of the tray 340 shown in FIGS. 53-64. The panel 610includes a cable spool 626 positioned between the second sidewall 624and a curved bulkhead 628. The curved bulkhead 628, cooperating with thecable spool 626, is configured to lead cables from the splice trays 612to the rears of the adapters 614 (see FIG. 77).

The splice trays 612 are positioned adjacent the front wall 617 of thetray 618 at a splice area 630. The splice area 630 is defined by fourframe members 632, 634, 636, 638. The splice trays 612 are placed in astacked configuration in between the frame members 632, 634, 636, 638.The frame members 632, 634, 636, 638 are defined by curved bulkheadsthat are configured to provide bend radius protection as the splicedcables are wrapped around the frame members.

The tray 618 further includes a cable management structure 640 definedby a curved bulkhead adjacent the corner of the tray defined by thefirst sidewall 642 and the front wall 617. Further back from thebulkhead 640, the tray includes another cable management structure 649defined by a bulkhead. Bulkhead 649 divides the splice area from theadapter location. The bulkhead 649 defines a curved portion 650.

The bulkhead 640 and the curved portion 650 are shaped to follow thecontour of the adjacent corresponding frame members 632 and 634 of thesplice area 630. As seen in FIG. 77, a cable path 652 is defined for theoutgoing cables between the first sidewall 642 and the curved bulkheads640 and 650. A second cable path 654 is defined between the bulkheads640 and 650 and the adjacent frame members 632 and 634 for guidingcables from the splice trays 612 to the adapters 614, as shown in FIG.77.

The curved bulkhead 640 adjacent the front wall 617 of the tray 618includes a finger 658 for keeping the cables below the top of the tray618 to prevent pinching or damage to the cables and to ensure smoothpivoting motion of the tray 618. There are cable rings 660 positioned onthe first sidewall 642 as well as the front wall 617 of the tray 618 formanaging cables going from the adapters 614 toward the opening 662 ofthe tray 618. As in the embodiment of the panel 310 of FIGS. 53-64, thetray 618 defines two cable rings 664, 666 adjacent the tray opening 662.The lower ring 664 is configured to receive incoming cables from thetrough of the lower cable guide and the upper ring 666 is configured toguide outgoing cables toward the trough of the upper cable guide.

Now referring to FIG. 77, a sample routing configuration for a cable 670is shown. It should be noted that although the routing is shown for asingle cable 670, the routing is representative of a plurality of cablesmanaged by the panel 610. In the diagram shown in FIG. 77, the top ofthe panel 610 has been removed to illustrate the internal featuresthereof and for clarity. As shown in FIG. 77, an incoming cable 670enters the panel 610 through the rear opening 672. After beingpositioned within the trough defined by the lower cable guide, the cable670 is directed toward the opening 662 located between the secondsidewall 624 of the tray 618 and the front wall 617 of the tray 618. Theincoming cable 670, after entering the tray 618, is inserted through thelower cable ring 664. Once the cable 670 enters the tray 618, the cable670 is lead down a cable path adjacent the front wall 617 of the tray618. Once the cable 670 reaches the first sidewall 642, the cable 670 isturned toward the rear of the tray 618 and then around the frame members632, 634 toward the second sidewall 624 of the tray 618. After goingaround the frame member 636, the cable 670 is directed toward the frontof the tray 618 and into a splice tray 612. At the splice tray 612, thecable 670 is spliced to another fiber optic cable 671 that isconnectorized.

The connectorized cable 671 then exits the splice tray 612 toward therear wall of the tray 618 and around the frame member 636 toward thefirst sidewall 642 of the tray 618. The cable 671 is then wrapped allthe way around the frame members 634, 632, and 638 (i.e., around thesplice trays 612) and is directed toward the curved portion of thesecond sidewall 624. From the second sidewall 624, the cable is directedtoward the cable spool 626, passing between the cable spool 626 and thecurved bulkhead 628. Once the cable 671 passes between the cable spool626 and the curved bulkhead 628, the cable 671 is led to the adapters614. At the adapters 614, the connectorized cable 671 is mated withanother connectorized cable 673. From the front of the adapters 614, thecable 673 is directed toward the front wall 617 of the tray 618. Aftergoing around the cable management structures 640, 650 and also throughthe cable path defined between the front wall 617 and the splicelocation, the cables 673 are directed toward the opening 662 of the tray618. Going from the adapters 614 to the cable exit, the cables 673 arepassed through the cable rings 660 for cable management purposes.

Although not shown, in other embodiments, the cable path defined betweenthe front wall 617 and the splice location may include a ramp structureto raise the cables 673 from the tray floor to the height of the uppercable ring 666 for the outgoing cables 673. In this manner, the cables673 may be raised to the level of the ring 666 at the opening 662 in agradual manner.

Once the outgoing cable 673 is inserted through the upper cable ring 666adjacent the tray opening 662, the cable 673 is directed into the troughof the upper cable guide and exits the panel 610 out the rear opening.

It should be noted that, if the cable 671 coming from the splice tray612 is going to be inserted into one of the first four rows of adapters614 closer to the cable spool 626, since there might be additional cableslack, the cable 671 may be wrapped once around the spool 626 ratherthan going simply between the spool 626 and the curved bulkhead 628before being mated at the adapter 614. If the cable 671 is going to beinserted into one of the adapters 614 in the second set of four rows ofadapters adjacent the corner, the cable routing as shown in FIG. 77 maybe used.

Please note that in FIG. 77, portions of the cable that are covered bysolid structures and may not be visible from a top plan view of thepanel 610 have been shown in dashed lines. The visible portions of thecable from a top plan view have been shown in solid lines.

As in the previous embodiments of the panel, the panels 310, 510, and610 of FIGS. 53-77 may include a cable puller structure 700 to aid inthe loading of cables into the tray of the panel. A cable clamp 700(shown in FIGS. 62, 65, and 65A) may be used to pull cables from therear opening toward the front opening of the panel without the need toextend an arm through the interior of the panel. When the tray is in theclosed position, the clamp 700 may be configured to be accessible fromthe rear opening. An end of a new cable may be attached to the clamp700. When the tray is swung to the open position, the end of the newcable will be pulled through the panel and out of the front opening.

As in previous embodiments of the panel, the panels shown in FIGS. 53-77may also include features such as a radius limiter 26 shown in FIG. 14.In different embodiments, the radius limiter may be configured to directthe cables upwardly, downwardly or toward one of the sides from the rearopening of the panel.

In the panels 310, 510, and 610 shown in FIGS. 53-77, a cable such as amulti-strand inter-facility cable 50 may be used for the incoming cablesand may be clamped to the rear wall of the panels. The cable may be heldto the panels by a cable clamp similar to cable clamp 52 locatedadjacent the rear opening of the panel (see FIGS. 9-11).

FIGS. 78-85 illustrate a seventh embodiment of a termination panel 710according to the present disclosure. The seventh embodiment of thetermination panel 710 is similar to the fourth embodiment of thetermination panel 310 of FIGS. 53-64, except for a number ofdifferences, which will be highlighted hereinafter.

As discussed previously, the fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments of thetermination panels 310, 510, and 610, respectively, may include a latchsimilar to those shown for panels 10, 110, and 210 of FIGS. 1-52 forreleasably holding the tray 340 in a closed position within the frontopening 324. A latch 712 similar to latch 40 of FIG. 23 is shown in theseventh embodiment of the terminal panel 710 of FIGS. 78-85. A latch 812is also shown in the eighth embodiment of the panel 810 of FIGS. 86-87and the ninth embodiment of the panel 910 of FIGS. 88-94. As discussedpreviously, the latch 712 may include a key for release, providingadditional security to the interior of the panels.

The tray 340 of the fourth embodiment of the terminal panel 310 of FIGS.53-64 was shown with the designation strips and labels removed forclarity. On the cover 714 of the tray 716 of the seventh embodiment ofthe termination panel 710 are the designation labels 718 shown. Thedesignation labels 718 may be positioned adjacent opening 720 toindicate the source and destination of cables attached to adapters 722that may extend through opening 720. The cover 714 may also include oneor more routing diagrams 724 to illustrate to the user the recommendedpath of cables within panel 710 as shown in the seventh embodiment ofthe termination panel 710. FIG. 85 illustrates a top view of the cover714 of the tray 716 of the termination panel 710 of FIG. 78 inisolation.

Please note that designation labels 918 and routing diagrams 924 havealso been shown on the cover 914 of the tray 916 of the ninth embodimentof the termination panel 910 of FIGS. 88-94. The designation labels 918and the routing diagrams 924 can be seen in FIGS. 88, 88A, and 89.

Other labels such as warning labels may also be included on variousparts of the different embodiments of the termination panels. Forexample, please see FIG. 82 for a warning label 726 adjacent the latch712 of the tray 716 of the seventh embodiment of the termination panel710.

In the seventh embodiment of the termination panel 710, vertical walls730 of cable guides 731, 732 defining troughs 734 extend all the way tothe rear end 736 of the cable guides 731, 732. As such, the notches atthe rear ends of the cable guides 420, 422 seen in the fourth embodimentof the termination panel 310 (see, e.g., FIGS. 56-60) are eliminated. Asimilar variation is also included in the eighth (FIG. 86) and ninth(FIG. 89) embodiments of the termination panels 810, 910, respectively.

The previous embodiments of the termination panel were discussed asincluding a cable puller structure to aid in the loading of cables intothe tray of the panel. For example, panels 310 and 510 of FIGS. 53-65were shown with a cable puller structure 700 to aid in the loading ofcables into the tray of the panel. The cable clamp 700 (shown in FIGS.62, 65, and 65A) is used to pull cables from the rear opening toward thefront opening of the panel without the need to extend an arm through theinterior of the panel. When the tray is in the closed position, theclamp 700 may be configured to be accessible from the rear opening. Anend of a new cable may be attached to the clamp 700. When the tray isswung to the open position, the end of the new cable will be pulledthrough the panel and out of the front opening.

The seventh embodiment of the termination panel 710 is also shown with acable puller 740 (i.e., temporary cable transporter or temporary cableclamp), the cable puller 740 including features similar to those shownin and discussed with respect to FIGS. 15-17, 20-22, 24, 26, 29, 62, 65,and 65A. FIG. 78A illustrates a close-up view of a cable transporter 740of the seventh embodiment of the termination panel 710. The eighth (FIG.86) and ninth (FIG. 88) embodiments of the termination panels 810, 910,respectively, are also shown with a cable puller feature.

As shown in FIG. 85, a corner 742 of the cover 714 of the tray 716adjacent the cable puller structure 740 includes a notch 744 foraccommodating the cable puller structure 740. A similar variation isalso included in the eighth and ninth embodiments of the terminationpanels 810, 910, respectively. For example, the cover 914 of the tray916 of the ninth embodiment of the termination panel 910 is shown inisolation in FIG. 88A, illustrating a notch 944.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments of the termination panels 310,510, and 610, respectively, were discussed as having the option ofincluding a cable clamp similar to cable clamp 52 located adjacent therear opening of the panel (see FIGS. 9-11). A cable such as amulti-strand inter-facility cable 50 may be used for the incoming cablesand may be clamped to the rear wall of the panels. The cable may be heldto the panels by such a cable clamp. A version of a cable clamp 750 isshown in the seventh embodiment of the terminal panel 710 of FIGS.78-85. FIG. 82A illustrates a close-up view of a cable clamp assembly750. A cable clamp may also be included in the eighth embodiment of thepanel 810 of FIGS. 86-87 and is shown on the ninth embodiment of thepanel 910 of FIGS. 88-94.

As discussed previously for all of the first, second, third, fourth, andsixth embodiments of the termination panels, 10, 110, 210, 310, and 610,respectively, adapters mounted within the trays of the terminationpanels may be mounted in a series of parallel, vertically orientedmodules. Different types or styles of fiber optic adapters may be useddepending upon the type or style of fiber optic connector beingterminated within the panels. FIG. 80A illustrates a close-up view of afiber optic adapter module 752 configured for mounting within thetermination panel 710 of FIG. 78 or within other embodiments of thetermination panels, the fiber optic adapter module 752 including aplurality of SC-type fiber optic adapters 754. FIG. 80B illustrates aclose-up view of an alternative embodiment of a fiber optic adaptermodule 756 configured for mounting within the termination panel 710 ofFIG. 78 or within other embodiments of the termination panels, the fiberoptic adapter module 756 including a plurality of LC-type fiber opticadapters 758.

Referring now to FIGS. 63 and 83, one of the differences between thefourth embodiment of the termination panel 310 and the seventhembodiment of the termination panel 710 is the shape of the bottom wallsof the upper cable guide 422. The bottom wall 760 of the upper cableguide 732 in the seventh embodiment of the termination panel 710 doesnot define as large a curve adjacent the front portion 762 of the cableguide 732 as in the fourth embodiment of the termination panel 310. Theportion 764 of the bottom wall 760 that protrudes toward the interior ofthe housing is reduced in length. In this manner, the bottom wall 760provides greater amount of space to accommodate cabling as the tray 716is pivoted between closed and open positions.

A similar variation is also included in the ninth embodiment of thetermination panel 910. Please see FIG. 91 for an illustration of therevised bottom wall 960 of the upper cable guide 932.

FIG. 83 is a top plan view of the termination panel 710 of FIG. 78, withthe tray 716 in the open position. An example cable routingconfiguration is illustrated in FIG. 83 for the seventh embodiment ofthe termination panel 710 of FIGS. 78-85. It should be noted that theexample cable routing configuration illustrated in FIG. 83 is similar tothe configuration shown in FIG. 64 for the fourth embodiment of thetermination panel 310.

Referring now to FIGS. 63 and 83, one of the differences between thefourth embodiment of the termination panel 310 and the seventhembodiment of the termination panel 710 is the replacement of one of thefingers (i.e., strain relief bracket) attached to the central bulkhead384 in the fourth embodiment of the panel 310 with a strain reliefspring clip 770 in the seventh embodiment of the panel 710. According toone embodiment of the strain relief spring clip 770 of the seventhembodiment, cables may be secured to the central bulkhead 772 using aspring clip and a thumb screw.

A similar strain relief spring clip 970 is also mounted in the ninthembodiment of the termination panel 910. Referring to FIG. 91, thestrain relief spring clip 970 is mounted to the second sidewall 984 ofthe tray 916 and is positioned adjacent the cable guides 931, 932 andthe cable rings 974 when the tray 916 is in the closed configuration. Itshould be noted that the spring clip 770 shown is only one example of asecurement structure that might be used to attach the cables to asidewall of the tray 716. Other types of securement devices may be used.

In all of the embodiments of the termination panel, fasteners 776 (e.g.,PEM type fasteners) may be mounted on various parts of the terminationpanel 710 for the purpose of attaching grounding straps or cables to thepanel 710. For example, according to one embodiment, the cover 714 andthe tray 716 may include PEM type fasteners (see FIG. 78) for groundingthe cover 714 to the tray 716.

FIGS. 86-87 illustrate an eighth embodiment of a termination panel 810according to the present disclosure. The eighth embodiment of thetermination panel is similar to the fifth embodiment of the terminationpanel 510 of FIGS. 65 and 65A, except for a number of differences whichwill be discussed herein.

As in the fifth embodiment of the termination panel 510 of FIGS. 65 and65A, the termination panel 810 is configured to house telecommunicationsmodules 890 instead of adapter modules (that are configured to simplymate two fiber optic connectors) in the cable connection area. Thetelecommunications modules 890 are slidably disposed between parallelwalls 891 as in the panel 510 of FIGS. 65 and 65A. The telecommunicationmodules 890, as discussed previously, can be configured to housedifferent types of fiber optic equipment including couplers, splitters,combiners, wave division multiplexers, etc. The telecommunicationsmodules 890 depicted each includes a plurality of connection locations892 defined by fiber optic adapters 893. Adapters 893 define connectionlocations 894 for receiving connectors on the ends of fiber opticcables. The opposite back ends 895 of the adapters 893 are disposedwithin the telecommunications modules 890 and are configured to receivefiber optic connectors associated with the internal circuitry of thetelecommunications modules 890. The signal entry and exit points areboth located at the front portion 896 of the telecommunications modules890 and are provided by the adapters 893.

Although the termination panel is shown with two telecommunicationsmodules 890 mounted thereon, other numbers are certainly possible.

For further description relating to the configuration of modules 890 andthe types of optical equipment that may be housed within the modules890, please refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,556,763 and 7,142,765, the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Examples oftelecommunications modules that are suitable for use in the panel areavailable from ADC Telecommunications, Inc. under the Model NameMicroVAM (Value-Added Module).

The cable routing for the embodiment of the panel 810 shown in FIGS. 86and 87 is similar to the cable routing shown in FIG. 64. However, sincethe adapters 893 mounted to the telecommunications modules 890 are usedto both input a signal and output a signal, instead of cables leading tothe rear ends of the adapters 893, connectorized cables will enter andexit the adapters from the same, front side of the adapters 893. Boththe incoming and outgoing cables will go through the fingers 897. Also,both the incoming and the outgoing cables will go through the cablerings 898. A slack storage area 889 is provided between a first bulkhead887 defining a curved portion 885 and a central bulkhead 883. The slackstorage area 889 includes a spool 881 for organizing cables. Cablesenter and exit the slack storage area 889 through an opening 879 locatedadjacent the curved portion 885 of the first bulkhead 887. A cablemanagement finger 877 may be provided at the opening 879.

In the version of the termination panel 810 shown in FIGS. 86 and 87,since the incoming cables and the outgoing cables enter and exit throughthe same parts of the panel 810 and do not have to be kept separate fromeach other, only one cable guide 831 is provided adjacent the rearopening 833. The cable guide 831 defines a deep trough 824 for guidingboth incoming and outgoing cables. The cable guide 831 defines a bottomwall or platform 830 and a vertical wall 834. A cable pusher 840 may beslidably inserted over the top edge 838 of the vertical wall 834 to helppush portions of incoming and outgoing cables into the trough 824 asdiscussed previously. The cable pusher provides a way to close up thegap above the vertical wall 834 of the cable guide 831.

The cover 814 of the tray 816 may include an opening that providesvisibility to the modules 890 and to information located on the modules890 to determine the types of modules 890 that are within the tray 816without having to open the cover 814.

FIG. 88-94 illustrate a ninth embodiment of a termination panel 910according to the present disclosure. The ninth embodiment of thetermination panel 910 is similar to the sixth embodiment of thetermination panel 610 of FIGS. 66-77, except for a number of differenceswhich will be discussed herein.

Now referring to FIG. 77 and FIG. 90, one of the differences between thesixth embodiment of the termination panel 610 and the ninth embodimentis the addition of a cable ring 911 to the curved portion 913 of thebulkhead 915 in the ninth embodiment of the termination panel 910(please see FIG. 77 and curved portion 650 of bulkhead 640 of panel610). As cables coming from the adapters enter the cable path definedbetween the first sidewall 917 and the curved bulkhead 915, the outgoingcables are supported by the cable ring 911.

FIG. 93 is a top plan view of the termination panel 910 of FIG. 88, withthe tray 916 in the open position. An example cable routingconfiguration is illustrated in FIG. 93 for the ninth embodiment of thetermination panel 910 of FIGS. 88-94. It should be noted that theexample cable routing configuration illustrated in FIG. 93 is similar tothe configuration shown in FIG. 77 for the sixth embodiment of thetermination panel 610.

FIGS. 95-99 is an exploded view of a cable management bracket 1000configured for mounting to any of the termination panels illustrated inFIGS. 53-94. The cable management bracket 1000 manages cables enteringand exiting the termination panels through the rear opening of thehousing of the panels.

The cable management bracket 1000 includes a mounting plate 1002 (FIG.96) that is attached to the second sidewall of the housing adjacent therear opening of the housing. The mounting plate 1002 and the housinginclude corresponding mounting holes 1004 for receiving fasteners 1006to attach the mounting bracket 1000 to the housing.

The mounting plate 1002 also includes radius limiter mounting holes 1008for attaching radius limiters 1010, 1012 to the mounting plate 1002. Asshown in FIG. 95, the radius limiters 1010, 1012 are attached to themounting plate 1002 so as to be located behind the rear opening of thehousing. In this manner, the radius limiters 1010, 1012 can guide cablescoming in and/or out of the termination panel. The mounting plate 1002includes a plurality of radius limiter mounting holes 1008 and invarious positions such that the radius limiters 1010, 1012 may beremovably mounted in different configurations, depending upon thedesired routing.

FIGS. 97-99 illustrates a number of the different possible cable routingconfigurations that can be set up with the radius limiters 1010, 1012 ofthe cable management bracket 1000.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 97, the radius limiters 1010, 1012are mounted and arranged to route both incoming and outgoing cablesdownwardly. In the configuration shown in FIG. 98, the radius limiters1010, 1012 are mounted and arranged to route both incoming and outgoingcables upwardly. In the configuration shown in FIG. 99, the radiuslimiters 1010, 1012 are mounted and arranged to route the incoming cabledownwardly and the outgoing cable upwardly. In the configuration shownin FIG. 99, the first upper radius limiter 1010 directs the outgoingcable upwardly, while the second lower radius limiter 1012 directs theincoming cable downwardly.

It should be noted that although three possible cable routingarrangements are shown in FIGS. 97-99, other routing arrangements usingthe radius limiters 1010, 1012 are certainly possible, depending uponthe desired cable paths.

Furthermore, even though only two radius limiters are shown as beingused with the cable management bracket 1000 in the depicted embodiment,other numbers are possible.

Referring now to the FIGS. 100-122, another telecommunicationstermination panel 1100 for linking a first set of telecommunicationscables 1102 entering the panel 1100 with a second set oftelecommunications cables 1104 exiting the panel 1100 is illustrated.The termination panel 1100 is similar in construction and functionalityto the previous embodiments of termination panels illustrated in FIGS.1-99, except for a number of differences, which will be highlightedhereinafter.

The panel 1100 shown in FIGS. 100-122 is configured such that it can bemounted to a telecommunications equipment rack adjacent another similarpanel, as noted above and as shown in related U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,870,734,7,086,539, 7,090,084, 7,102,884, 7,408,769, and 7,478,730, and U.S.Patent Application Publications 2009/0257726, 2010/0012599, and2009/0129045, the disclosures of which have been incorporated herein byreference. The termination panel 1100 may be configured to be mounted ona rack that is a nineteen inch wide rack. The panel 1100 could also beadapted for use with a twenty-three inch wide rack or with other widthsof racks within the scope of the present disclosure.

As in the previous embodiments, the termination panel 1100 is configuredto provide a plurality of connection locations 1106 for linking thetelecommunications cables 1102, 1104 within the panel 1100. Thetermination panel 1100 may electrically connect copper cables oroptically connect optical fiber cables at the connection locations 1106.When used as a fiber optic system, the connection locations 1106 may bedefined by fiber optic adapters 1108 that link a first set ofconnectorized fiber optic cables to a second set of connectorized fiberoptic cables. As in the previous embodiments, the adapters 1108 may beslidably mounted in a series of parallel, vertically oriented adaptermodules. Each module may be slidably mounted between a pair of walls1110 and may be extended generally upward above the tray 1112 of thepanel 1100. Thus positioned, access to adapters 1108 mounted to moduleand any optical fiber cables attached to adapters 1108 is improved. Asin the previous embodiments, the adapter modules may extend at an angletoward the front. The axis of insertion of fiber optic cables to thefront and rear of each adapter 1108 may be substantially parallel to thefloor of the tray 1112. Alternatively, walls and modules could beconfigured so that modules slide vertically, with adapters mountedhorizontally to modules.

As noted for previous embodiments of termination panels, the terminationpanel 1100 may be configured to house telecommunications modules 1114instead of adapter-only modules (that are configured to simply mate twofiber optic connectors) in the cable connection area wherein a signalcarried by a first set of cables 1102 coming into the panel 1100 couldbe processed (e.g., split, combined, multiplexed, demultiplexed, etc.)by the fiber optic equipment and directed out of the panel 1100.

As shown in FIGS. 118 and 119, the depicted embodiment of thetermination panel 1100 includes such telecommunications modules 1114that are slidably disposed between parallel walls 1110 as in the panels510 and 810. The telecommunication modules 1114, as discussedpreviously, can be configured to house different types of fiber opticequipment including couplers, splitters, combiners, wave divisionmultiplexers, monitoring circuitry, etc.

In the depicted embodiment, the signal entry and exit points for thetelecommunications modules 1114 are provided by adapters 1108. As shownin FIGS. 118 and 119, in the depicted embodiment, each of the depictedtelecommunications modules 1114 may include a plurality of cable inputlocations 1116 defined by adapters 1108 located at the rear 1118 of themodule 1114 and a plurality of cable output locations defined byadapters 1108 located at the front 1120 of the module 1114. The adapters1108 at the rear 1118 of the module 1114 receive connectorized inputcables on rear ends 1122 of fiber optic adapters 1108. The oppositefront ends of the adapters 1108 are disposed within thetelecommunications module 1114 and may be configured to relayconnectorized cables to internal fiber optic equipment or circuitrywithin the telecommunications module 1114. Similarly, the adapters 1108at the front 1120 of the module 1114 receive connectorized output cables1104 on front ends 1124 of the fiber optic adapters 1108. The oppositeback ends of the adapters 1108 are disposed within thetelecommunications module 1114 and may receive connectorized cablesextending from the fiber optic equipment or circuitry within the module1114.

Although the termination panel 1100 is shown with twelvetelecommunications modules 1114 mounted therein, other numbers arecertainly possible.

For further description relating to the configuration of the modules1114 and the types of optical equipment that may be housed within themodules 1114, please refer to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,556,763 and 7,142,765,the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.Examples of telecommunications modules that are suitable for use in thepanel 1100 are available from ADC Telecommunications, Inc. under theModel Name MicroVAM (Value-Added Module).

As will be discussed below, even though in the depicted cable routingshown in FIGS. 118 and 119, the input cables 1102 are shown as directedto the rear ends 1118 of the telecommunications modules 1114 and theoutput cables 1104 extend from the front ends 1120 of thetelecommunications modules 1114, the termination panel 1100 canaccommodate other different routing configurations. For example, thetermination panel 1100 can accommodate a routing configuration whereinthe front adapters 1108 are used as both cable input and cable outputlocations as in the panels shown in FIGS. 65 and 65A and 86 and 87. Inother embodiment, the rear adapters 1108 can be used as both cable inputand cable output locations. As an another example, the termination panel1100 can also accommodate a reversed routing configuration wherein thefront adapters 1108 are used as the cable input locations and the rearadapters 1108 are used as the cable output locations. With thecapability to provide the option of a rear entry/exit or a sideentry/exit, the termination panel 1100 can be used for different cablingarrangements. Only two of the possible arrangements are shown in FIGS.118 and 119 and these should not be used to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In the example depicted in FIG. 118, the rear of the panelis used as the cable entry point and the side of the panel is used asthe cable exit point. In the example depicted in FIG. 119, the side ofthe panel is used as both entry and exit points. In other embodiments,as noted, some of the signals may enter and exit through the rear andsome may enter through the side and exit through the rear of the paneldepending upon the desired connectivity.

Regarding other features of the termination panel 1100, the terminationpanel 1100 includes a housing 1130 made up of a first sidewall 1132, asecond sidewall 1134, a rear wall 1136, and a bottom 1138. A top 1140(shown in FIGS. 100-105 and 113 and removed from the other drawings forclarity) cooperates with the first sidewall 1132, the second sidewall1134, the rear wall 1136, and the bottom 1138 to define a front opening1142, a rear opening 1144, and a side opening 1146 of the housing 1130.As in the previous embodiments, the sidewalls 1132, 1134 define flanges1135 for mounting the top 1140 to the panel 1100.

The rear wall 1136 substantially closes of the rear 1148 of the panel1100 except for the rear opening 1144. It should be noted that the rearwall 1136 closing off the rear 1148 of the housing 1130 except for therear opening 1144 may be defined by an upward extension of the bottom1138 or a downward extension of the top 1140, or both. Similarly, thesecond sidewall 1134 substantially closes the left side 1150 of thepanel 1100 except for the side opening 1146. The second sidewall 1134may be defined by an upward extension of the bottom 1138 or a downwardextension of the top 1140 of the housing 1130, or both.

As in the previous embodiment of the panels shown in FIGS. 1-99, thetermination panel 1100 utilizes mounting brackets 1152 on the sidewalls1132, 1134 for mounting to a telecommunications rack.

The panel 1100 includes a pivoting tray 1112 movable between an openposition and a closed position, as in the previous panels illustrated inFIGS. 1-99. The tray 1112 includes a front wall 1154 that substantiallycloses off the front opening 1142 of the panel 1100 when the tray 1112is in the closed position (FIGS. 100-104 and 109).

Tray 1112 pivots about an axis A defined by a hinge 1156 adjacent thesecond sidewall 1134, close to the front opening 1142 of the housing1130.

Referring to FIGS. 107, 111, 116 and 117-119, as in the previousembodiments, the panel 1100 includes an extendable rotatable support1158 that is pivotably attached both to the bottom 1138 of the housing1130 and to a raised floor portion 1160 of the tray 1112. As the tray1112 is moved from the closed position to the open position, support1158 rotates and extends out of front opening 1142 of the housing 1130to provide additional support for the tray 1112. Without the support1158, only the hinge 1156 would be supporting the tray 1112 and the tray1112 may sag or otherwise bind the hinge 1156 due to the weight of thetray 1112 and the components installed in the tray 1112. Support 1158provides additional support to the tray 1112 in the open position andaids in the movement of the tray 1112.

The tray 1112 may also include a latch 1162 similar to those shown forprevious panels of FIGS. 1-99 for releasably holding the tray 1112 in aclosed position within the front opening 1142. As discussed above, thelatch 1162 can include a lock requiring a key to release, providingadditional security to the interior of the panel 1100. As in theembodiments of the panels shown in FIGS. 23-99, the front wall 1154 ofthe tray 1112 includes a recessed portion 1164 adjacent the latch 1162.A close-up view of the latch 1162 is shown in FIG. 112A.

Referring to FIGS. 107, 108, 110-112, and 118-120, the tray 1112 isshown in an open configuration allowing entry into the panel 1100through the front opening 1142. In addition to the front wall 1154 andthe floor 1159 which includes a portion 1160 raised above the bottom1138 of the housing 1130 for accommodating the rotatable support 1158,the tray 1112 also includes a first sidewall 1170, a second sidewall1172, and a rear wall 1174. As in the previous embodiments, the corner1176 intersecting the rear wall 1174 and the first sidewall 1170 of thetray 1112 has been relieved or angled. The angled corner 1176 allowsgreater access into the panel 1100 through the front opening 1142 whenthe tray 1112 is in the open position.

As in the previous panels of FIGS. 23-99, the first sidewall 1170 of thetray 1112 is depicted as including a removable cardholder 1178 mountedthereon for holding information cards. Information cards may beinstruction cards, warning labels, routing information cards ordesignation strips related to the configuration and use of panel 1100.Cardholder 1178 is positioned so that cards are housed within panel 1100when tray 1112 is in the closed position but are easily accessible to auser when tray 1112 is in the open position.

As will be discussed in further detail below, the tray 1112 defines anopening 1180 between the front wall 1154 of the tray 1112 and the secondsidewall 1172. The opening 1180 is configured to allow cables 1102, 1104to enter and exit the tray 1112 therethrough. Positioning the opening1180 as close as possible to the hinge 1156 minimizes the amount ofcable slack required in the cables to permit the tray to swing betweenopen and closed positions. The farther from hinge 1156 the opening 1180is located, the more slack in cables is required to permit tray 1112 tomove unhindered. Cables, whether incoming or outgoing, can extendbetween the opening 1180 of the tray and either the rear opening 1144 ofthe housing 1130 (FIG. 118) or the side opening 1146 (FIG. 119) of thehousing 1130, as will be discussed in further detail below.

The second sidewall 1172 is positioned offset from an intermediatesidewall 1182 of the tray 1112. The second sidewall 1172, in combinationwith a bulkhead 1184 that extends upwardly from the floor 1159 of thetray 1112, defines a first trough area 1186 for receiving cables 1102. Aplurality of cable management fingers 1188 extend from the secondsidewall 1172 toward the bulkhead 1184 for managing cables 1102. Thebulkhead 1184 includes a radius limiter portion 1190 adjacent the rearof the tray 1112. An opening 1192 is defined between the radius limiter1190 and the rear wall 1174 of the tray 1112. The opening 1192 and theradius limiter 1190 are configured to guide cables 1102 that have passedthrough the first trough 1186 into the central interior part of the tray1112 toward the telecommunications modules 1114. A plurality of cablemanagement fingers 1194 extend from the rear wall 1174 in a directiontoward the front wall 1154 and a cable management finger 1196 extendsfrom the radius limiter 1190 toward the rear wall 1174. The cablemanagement fingers 1188, 1194, and 1196 keep the cables 1102 down andlimit them from moving upwardly when the tray 1112 is being moved. Afurther cable management structure 1198 including a finger 1200 islocated at the opening 1180 of the tray 1112 to guide cables 1102 intothe trough 1186. After passing through the opening 1180 of the tray 1112and entering the tray 1112, cables 1102 first pass around the cablemanagement structure 1198 and up a slight ramp 1202 before entering thetrough 1186.

The intermediate sidewall 1182 of the tray 1112 is formed as an insetportion and defines a recess 1204 under the trough area 1186. As will bediscussed in further detail below, the recess 1204 is configured toaccommodate a second cable trough 1206 that is located adjacent thesecond sidewall 1134 of the housing 1130 of the termination panel 1100.The second trough 1206 of the housing 1130 extends from the rear to thefront of the housing 1130 and guides cables along the second sidewall1134 of the housing 1130 between the rear opening 1144 and the frontopening 1180 of the tray 1112 (if the termination panel 110 is used arear entry/exit panel).

Since the first trough 1186 is pivotally disposed with respect to thehousing 1130 due to the pivotal movement of the tray 1112, the recess1204 defined under the first trough 1186 accommodates the cables 1102within the second trough 1206 when the tray 1112 is moved to a closedposition (shown in FIGS. 121 and 122). The first trough 1186 ispivotally disposed with respect to the second trough 1206 with themovement of the tray 1112 such that when the tray 1112 is in the closedposition, the first trough 1186 becomes positioned above the secondtrough 1206, wherein the first and second troughs 1186, 1206 arepositioned parallel to each other. When the tray 1112 is moved to theopen position, the first and second troughs 1186, 1206 becomeperpendicular to each other.

With the raised configuration of the first trough 1186 with respect tothe second trough 1206, when the optical fiber cables 1102 enter or exitthe panel 1100 through the rear opening 1144, the optical fiber cables1102 extending from the second trough 1206 of the housing 1130 into thefirst trough 1186 of the tray 1112 are not pinched when the tray 1112 ispivoted from the open position to the closed position as shown in FIGS.120-122.

The second trough 1206 is illustrated in FIGS. 105, 107 (exploded) and111, 118, and 119 (assembled). The second trough 1206 is defined by aplate 1210 that is mounted to the second sidewall 1134 of the housing1130. The plate 1210 is mounted such that it is raised from the bottom1138 of the housing 1130. The plate 1210 defines a wall 1212 extendingin a direction from the rear of the housing 1130 toward the front. Thewall 1212 cooperates with the second sidewall 1134 of the housing 1130to define the second trough 1206. A plurality of cable managementfingers 1214 extend from the wall 1212 toward the second sidewall 1134of the housing 1130 and a plurality of cable management fingers 1216extend from the second sidewall 1134 of the housing 1130 toward the wall1212 of the plate 1210, wherein the first set of fingers 1214 is locatedoffset with respect to the second set 1216. The cable management fingers1214, 1216 are configured to keep the cables 1102 within the secondtrough 1206.

The plate 1210 defines a ramp portion 1218 adjacent the rear opening1144 of the housing 1130 for guiding cables 1102 into or out of thesecond trough 1206 if the panel 1100 is used as a rear entry/exit panel.The plate 1210 defines a first radius limiter 1220 and a second radiuslimiter 1222 adjacent the rear opening 1144 of the housing 1130 whereinthe radius limiters 1220, 1222 have opposing cable management fingers1224, 1226, respectively.

A further cable management structure 1228 that accommodates cables 1102coming in or going out from either the right side or the left side ofthe panel 1100 is mounted adjacent the rear opening 1144 of the housing1130. The cable management structure 1228 defines a ramp 1230 going to acable pathway 1232 for cables 1102 coming in or going out from the leftside of the panel 1100. A cable pathway 1234 is also defined by thecable management structure 1228 for cables 1102 coming or going from theright side of the panel 1100 as shown in FIG. 118. The cable managementstructure 1228, if the panel 1100 is used as a rear entry/exit panel,guides incoming cables 1102 into the second trough 1206 or guides cables1102 out of the second trough. Thereafter or therebefore, 1102 cablesextend between the second trough 1206 of the housing and the firsttrough 1186 of the tray 1112 as shown in FIG. 118.

If the panel 1100 is used as a side entry/exit panel, then the secondtrough 1206 may not necessarily be used as the cables 1102 can extendfrom the side opening 1146 into the first trough 1186 as shown in FIG.119. In that situation, when the tray 1112 is moved to the closedposition, all of the cables 1102 stay on the first trough level, whereinthe second trough 1206 becomes nested in the recess area 1204 under thefirst trough 1186 (FIG. 119A).

All of the bulkheads, walls, and cable management structures includingthe fingers discussed above help guide the cables in and out of thetermination panel 1100 and prevent optical fibers from being pinched orotherwise damaged.

As in the previous embodiments of panels, the tray 1112 is the portionof the termination panel 1100 that normally houses the plurality ofconnection locations 1106 for aligning and optically linking incomingfiber optic cables 1102 with outgoing fiber optic cables 1104. As notedabove, the terms “outgoing” and “incoming” are simply used fordescribing the depicted embodiment and that the routing of the cables orthe signal paths can be varied. Cables that are shown as incoming cablesmay be used as outgoing cables in other embodiments or carry outgoingsignals depending upon the routing desired and the type oftelecommunications equipment housed within the modules 1114.

In the depicted termination panel of FIGS. 100-122, after the outgoingcables 1104 extend from the adapters 1108 located at the front of thetelecommunications modules 1114, they can lead up a ramp 1238 and thenpass through a plurality of vertically oriented fingers 1240 whichprovide bend radius protection to the cables 1104 as cables 1104 aredirected toward the opening 1180 of the tray 1112. As the cables 1104exit the tray 1112 through the opening 1180, they go up another rampstructure 1242 (see FIGS. 107, 111, 114, 115, 118, and 119) and arebounded above by a cable management finger 1244 before exiting thehousing 1130 of the termination panel 1100 through the side opening1146.

In the depicted example routing, wherein the side opening 1146 of thepanel is used as a cable exit, the cables 1104 may follow the same pathfrom the telecommunications modules 1114 out of the side opening 1146 ofthe housing 1130 whether the panel 1100 is used a rear entry panel or aside entry panel, as shown in FIGS. 118, 119, 119A.

As in the previous embodiments of the trays of FIGS. 23-99, tray 1112includes a cover 1250 hingedly mounted to the rear wall 1174 of the tray1112 by a hinge 1252. Please see FIGS. 105, 109, 110, 112, 113, 120, and121. The cover 1250 is movable between a closed or operational position(FIG. 113) and an open/access position (FIGS. 110-111). When the cover1250 is in an operational position, the tray 1112 is allowed to be movedbetween the open and closed positions with respect to the panel 1100.Cover 1250 includes an opening 1252 through which the telecommunicationsmodules 1114 are visible. Opening 1252 permits any identification orother information printed or attached to modules 1114 to be visible whencover 1250 is in the operational position.

As in the embodiment of the panels of FIGS. 23-99, the cover 1250 isconfigured to prevent movement of the tray 1112 to the closed positionwhen cover 1250 is not in the operational position. In this manner, anydamage to the telecommunications modules 1114, when they are in anextended position, is prevented if the tray 1112 is brought from theopen position to the closed position, as described with respect to theearlier embodiments.

The cover 1250 is also configured such that, when in the operationalposition, the cover 1250 will ensure that no cables within tray 1112extend above a plane P defined by the top cover 1250 of the tray 1112.In this manner, any cables extending above the plane P defined by thetop of the tray 1112 are prevented from being pinched or otherwisedamaged by front edge of top 1140 of the housing 1130.

As in the previous embodiment of the panel, the cover 1250 alsointeracts with modules 1114 which were extended upward and not refractedprior to cover 1250 being moved from the access position. The upper endof an extended module 1114 strikes the cover 1250 adjacent an edge ofthe opening 1252. The opening 1252 is positioned and configured toprevent cover 1250 from being closed with a module 1114 extended upward.When a module 1114 is extended and interacts with cover 1250, cover 1250cannot be moved to the operational position and tray 1112 cannot beclosed. This prevents damage to the extended module 1114 as describedabove.

As described for the previous embodiments, the opening 1252 of the cover1250 is also configured and positioned so as to prevent any cablesconnected to the rear of the upper most adapters 1108 of the extendedtelecommunications module 1114 from being pinched or otherwise damagedwhen cover 1250 interacts with the extended module 1114. In the absenceof the opening 1252 configured and positioned as shown, such a cablewould be struck by the cover 1250 before the cover 1250 strikes theextended module 1114. The pressure of the cover 1250 could cause thecable to kink or bend tighter than the desired bend radius and possiblydegrade the ability of the cable to transmit optical signals.

In FIGS. 105-122, the panel 1100 is shown with top 1140 removed topermit viewing of the interior of panel 1100 as tray 1112 is movedbetween the closed position (shown in FIGS. 100-104 and 109) and theopen position (shown in the FIGS. 107, 108, 110-112, and 118-120).

As in the previous embodiments of the panels, the panel 1100 may includea cable puller structure 1260 to aid in the loading of cables into thetray 1112 of the panel 1100. A cable puller 1260 (shown in FIGS. 105,107, 114, 115, 118, and 119) may be used to pull cables from the rearopening 1144 toward the front opening 1142 of the panel 1100 without theneed to extend an arm through the interior of the panel 1100. When thetray 1112 is in the closed position, the cable puller 1260 may beconfigured to be accessible from the rear opening 1144. A connectorizedend of a new cable may be attached to the cable puller 1260. When thetray 1112 is swung to the open position, the connectorized end of thenew cable will be pulled through the panel 1100 and out of the frontopening 1142. The cable puller structure 1260 is shown as mounted to therear wall 1174 of the tray 1112. The rear wall 1136 of the housing 1130includes a spacer 1262 so that the cable puller 1260 does not contactthe rear wall 1136 of the housing 1130 when the tray 1112 is moved fromthe open position to the closed position. Since the tray 1112 is raisedfrom the bottom 1138 of the housing 1130, the spacer 1262 is positionedat a lower position at the rear wall 1136 of the housing 1130 such thatit can avoid the cable puller 1260 and not contact the cable puller 1260as the tray 1112 is being moved to the closed position.

As in previous embodiments of the panels, the panel 1100 may alsoinclude a radius limiter 1264 adjacent the side opening 1146 of thehousing 1130 similar to the radius limiter structure 26 shown in FIG.15. The radius limiter 1264 is configured to direct cables upwardly intothe panel 1100 and downwardly out of the panel 1100 through asemicircular arc 1266 without violating bend radius rules. The radiuslimiter 1264 includes a plurality of cable management fingers 1268 onthe front side 1270 of the radius limiter 1264, adjacent the front sideof the panel 1100 for preventing all cables from moving past the frontof the panel 1100.

As in the previous embodiments of the panels, a cable such as amulti-strand inter-facility cable 50 may be used for the incoming cablesor the outgoing cables 1102 and may be clamped to the rear wall 1136 ofthe panel 1100. The cables 1102 may be held to the panel 1100 by a cableclamp 1272 similar to cable clamp 52 located adjacent the rear openingof the panel (see FIGS. 9-11).

It is anticipated that all of the panels described herein may bemodified to provide connection locations for high speed copper cables aswell as optical fiber cables. As copper cables are used to transmit dataat higher speed, bend radius rules similar to those for optical fibercables may need to be enforced within the network. As with opticalfibers, it is desirable to have higher densities of connections withincopper panels as well.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the inventive aspects of thedisclosure. Since many embodiments of the disclosure can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, the inventiveaspects reside in the claims hereinafter appended.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A telecommunications termination panel comprising: a housing including a top, a bottom, a first side and a second opposing side defining a front opening and a rear opening, the rear opening adjacent the first side, the rear opening being usable as a cable entry/exit into/from the housing, the first side of the housing also defining a side opening adjacent the front opening, the side opening being usable as a cable entry/exit into/from the housing; and a tray including a front wall, a rear wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the tray pivotably mounted within the housing, the tray pivotable through the front opening of the housing between an open access position and a closed position wherein the front wall substantially blocks the front opening of the housing, the tray pivoting about a vertical axis located adjacent the first side of the housing, the tray defining a cable entry/exit opening adjacent the vertical pivot axis and a plurality of connection locations for connecting a first cable entering the housing to a second cable exiting the housing; wherein the housing includes a first cable trough defining a cable path extending from the rear opening toward the cable entry/exit opening of the tray for guiding cables between the rear opening and the tray when the termination panel is used as a rear entry or exit panel; wherein the tray includes a second trough defining a cable path extending from the cable entry/exit opening of the tray toward the rear wall of the tray, the second trough being pivotally disposed with respect to the first trough with the movement of the tray such that when the tray is in the open access position, the first and second troughs are generally perpendicular to each other and when the tray is in the closed position, the first and second troughs are parallel to each other with the second trough overlapping the first trough to prevent pinching of a cable extending from the rear opening of the housing to the tray if the panel is used as a rear entry or exit panel.
 2. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein the tray defines an outer perimeter, the tray including a wall extending upward along at least a portion of the outer perimeter, the tray including a cover hingedly mounted to the wall, the cover pivotable between an open position and a closed position, wherein the tray and the cover define a larger dimension than the front opening of the housing when the cover is in the open position such that the tray is movable from the open position to the closed position only when the cover is in the closed position.
 3. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 2, wherein the connection locations include adapters to connect optical fiber cables, the adapters mounted in one of a plurality of telecommunications modules mounted to the tray with each module moveably mounted along a line of travel above the tray, each one of the modules including a plurality of adapters for holding a fiber optic connector, each adapter having opposite ends for coupling to a fiber optic connector, each one of the adapters movable with one of the modules along the line of travel, and further wherein the cover may not be moved to the closed position when any module is extending upward along the line of travel.
 4. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 3, wherein the cover and the adapters are positioned such that when the tray is pivoted from the open position to the closed position, the cover, when in the open position, contacts the housing before the adapters contact the housing to prevent damage to the adapters.
 5. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein the tray includes a first series of cable management structures for routing optical fiber cables from the connection locations toward the axis of pivot with bend radius protection.
 6. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein the tray defines a recess underneath the second cable trough for accommodating the first cable trough of the housing.
 7. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein both the first cable trough and the second cable trough define cable management fingers for keeping cables within the troughs.
 8. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein the first cable trough is raised from the bottom of the housing and the second cable trough overlaps the first cable trough when the tray is in the closed position.
 9. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, wherein the termination panel is mounted on an equipment rack either above or below a like termination panel.
 10. A telecommunications termination panel according to claim 1, further comprising a cable puller structure for temporarily attaching an end of a cable through the rear opening of the housing to the tray when the tray is in the closed position such that movement of the tray to the open position pulls the cable through the housing to position the attached end of the cable adjacent to and accessible through the front opening of the housing. 